


The Fawn

by SilverStrings



Series: Robin Hood [1]
Category: Death Note
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crime, Death, Drama, Gen, Homicide, Investigation, Offscreen Violence, Psychological Trauma, Some Romance, Spoilers, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-21 15:28:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 127,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1555256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverStrings/pseuds/SilverStrings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>L's top four picks for his successor have been split into pairs dubbed the Wammy Teams. They take on assignments from L to prove who deserves to inherit his title, but not all of them have this goal in mind. After all, L has a pretty nasty habit of reforming criminals if they can be useful.</p>
<p>The Wammy Teams have been active for a few years now, each of them having developed their own specialties in their detective works. When Team Deneuve hits a snag in their case on Beyond Birthday's most recent murders, the newcomer, Bambi, is sent to aid them. Conflict arises when teams collide, ultimately throwing them into the fray of L's biggest case yet. </p>
<p>Even in Japan, Bambi is haunted by the man who once shared her letter. Her trauma leads her contemplate her already-gray perspective on morality and justice. Was Kira actually the heartless murderer that L portrays him as? Were her own crimes as justified as she once thought? She tries to distract herself by focusing on the case, but her slowly-growing attraction to her coworker just adds another issue she tries to avoid. Still, she can't hide from her problems forever. Bambi will have to look into herself and find her true answers to the questions she fears most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And So It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> The general plot of Death Note will be followed as long as the characters and logic allow. That being said, this is an Alternate Universe fan-fiction, so changes are inevitable. Matt, Mello, and Near are three yearsolder than canon. Average chapter length increases as the story goes on. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited November 3, 2014. Age fixed November 16, 2014.

  
*** * * December 11 * * ***

It was a cool winter's afternoon in Washington DC. The sun was hidden behind a veil of clouds, though that didn't stop groups of eager tourists from exploring the streets below. The city was filled with important buildings, some familiar icons and others that simply blended in. One of those seemingly-invisible buildings contained two individuals who were hand-picked by L and Watari as potential successors to the great detective.

The main computer room was lit by dozens of computer screens, silhouetting the two young prodigies. On the left sat a boy who wore nothing but pajamas and socks. At the ripe, young age of seventeen, he still hadn't hit his full adult height; the way he slouched as he sat made him look even shorter than he already was. Being the anti-social person that he is, he was comfortable sitting there in his long-sleeved, white pajama top and pants. He wore socks to warm his cold toes, but didn't bother to wear shoes. He twirled his white hair around his finger as he stared intently at the screens before him.

To his right sat a young woman. The light from the screens made her light peach skin appear almost as pale as her partner. She was leaning forward in her chair with her head rested on her hand. A lock of brown hair fell over her eyes with this motion. She furrowed here eyebrows and blew air toward the hair. It rose into the air and right back into the same spot. She huffed before swiping the hair away from her face and leaning back into the chair. She folded her arms over her chest as a dull look came to her warm brown eyes. The tips of her hair brushed against her red and white baseball tee. She crossed her jean-clad legs and quietly groaned about how boring her current task was.

Both of them were only seventeen years old, though she was several months his elder. The girl's name was Amelia Stein, and the boy was Nate River. Despite being partners for two years, the pair didn't know each other's names. Instead they knew each other by their aliases: Bambi and Near. Although this would be unusual in any other work environment, it was a custom for those who work under the world-famous detective, L.

Bambi glanced over to Near, recalling when she first found out about the nature of their partnership. After she was tested by Mr. Wammy, the old man found her to be among the intelligence and skill levels of the top four students at the Wammy House Orphanage, an English orphanage dedicated to raising children to be able to succeed L when he passes. No one knew who L was—except for Mr. Wammy—but the children of the orphanage worked hard to eventually gain the rights to the name. Mr. Wammy had told Bambi that a plan was made for the top four students of the Wammy House to be split into two teams to work on cases that the great detective didn't have time to. This would work not only as an aid to the great detective, but also as a final method to determine who his successor would be.

Bambi redirected her attention to the current case as she focused on the screens. Pictured on the screens, were live video feeds of the top suspects to the case that Bambi and Near were working on. The case was a nationwide Ponzi Scheme that they had tracked to be much older than their partnership. This had been their most difficult case yet, but Bambi believed that her contributions had finally led Near to trust her and her skills.

The team had been working on the case for the past eight months, gathering evidence and uncovering the key players. Bambi did some undercover work to plant a virus in the company computers to allow herself and Near to have complete access to all files remotely. While there she also gathered other information on the key suspects.

The pair of detectives were winding the case down to a close. The video monitoring was the last phase of the plan, its purpose was to map out the daily routines of their suspects to plan how to arrest all of them at the exact same time. Bambi's attention landed on the leader of the Ponzi Scheme for a moment before all of the screens went blank. Bambi's eyes widened in dismay.

Doubt spawned in her mind. _Did the suspects find out? I would have sworn that the virus was untraceable._

The brunette reached for the nearest keyboard when a familiar 'L' appeared on the blank screens. Bambi sighed in relief, though her next thought was wondering why L contacted them. It was a rare occurrence, so it must be important.

The scrambled voice of L rang out in the room as he addressed the team. "Good afternoon Eraldo Coil. Unfortunately for you two, this is not a leisure call." Bambi and Near exchanged glances as L continued. "Deneuve has been failing their mission in Los Angeles, and I need the both of you out there to clean up their mess."

Bambi picked up the microphone on the team's end and turned it on before saying, "L, we're not finished with our case just yet. We need a little more time."

"I am aware of that," L's mechanical voice replied. "Since your team is close to finishing your assignment, I will be sending B to Los Angeles while N stays here and completes the case."

Bambi wanted to argue, but she knew just how stubborn that damn detective was, so she decided to let it go. The brunette knew that she could trust her partner to finish the case. If an emergency were to come up and the team needed to do field work, Bambi was confident that their new hire, Gevanni, could handle it.

L continued as a map with a red star appeared on the screen. "You will meet your new partners here at 9:00pm precisely. Your flight leaves in two hours." With that, the 'L' disappeared, and the screens returned to the suspects.

Bambi groaned, mildly frustrated at the situation, before shaking it off. The young woman stretched her arms over her head and stood up.

"Well, I'm going to go pack my suitcase real quick. Good luck on the rest of the case, Near. I'll see you over there when you're done."

As the brunette began to walk out of the monitor room, Near called out to her.

The young woman stopped and turned to face her partner. Near looked at her, twirling his hair as he continued. "I have known the people who work as Deneuve for a long time. Mello will not be very receptive of you if he knows that you work with me."

Bambi laughed a bit and put her hands in her pockets as she replied, "Thanks for the concern, Near. I'll keep an eye out, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

The young woman then turned around and continued to her room. She pulled out a small suitcase and quickly packed a few essentials, a few day's worth of clothes, and her laptop inside of it's cushioned case. After zipping up the suitcase, Bambi put on a dark hoodie and her black fiddler cap. She topped it all off with a black winter coat and plaid scarf. The brunette quickly grabbed her suitcase, left the building and hailed a cab for the ride to the airport.


	2. Friend or Foe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited on November 3, 2014. A new scene was added to the end of the chapter.

When Bambi's plane touched down in Los Angeles, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. After retrieving her suitcase from the luggage claim, the brunette stepped outside, taking note that the cool night air of LA felt like the same temperature as DC when she left. The young woman stuck out her arm to hail an approaching taxicab. Nearly half an hour passed as she sat in the backseat before being dropped off a few blocks away from the meeting point. Bambi took her suitcase and paid the driver in cash before watching him drive off. Once the taxi was out of sight, Bambi picked up her suitcase and began walking down the poorly lit roads to the meeting location.

After a few minutes, she began to near the meeting place. The brunette slowed down and nonchalantly looked around to make sure that she wasn't followed. When she was certain that she was alone, Bambi turned into the alley. A small strip of moonlight was the only significant light source as she marched forward.

Halfway down the alley, she checked her watch. She scrunched her nose as a small frown appeared on her lips. _It's nine o'clock, so where are they?_ As the teen looked back up, she heard pounding footsteps as someone raced toward her. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she caught a glimpse of a hooded man in the corner of her eye, rapidly approaching.

Her eyes widened as she leaned back and jumped out of the way, watching as the man's fist just barely missed her face. The adrenaline from the attack slowed Bambi's perception of time. She dropped her suitcase and watched her opponent, arms raised defensively in front of her as he retracted his fist and turned his body toward her. A snarl was the only aspect of his face that she could see as he raised his fist to throw another punch at her.

Bambi's eyes widened as she swooped her hand up and to the side, redirecting his fist to the right as her wrist came into contact with his. She tried to grab his wrist to pull him into her own fist, but he was too fast. The man threw a punch with his right fist as he pulled the left one back. The woman threw her arms up and trapped his wrist between her palms as she leaned back and directed his arm to her right. His balance didn't falter, so the two ended shoulder to shoulder, the attacker's arm still pressed between her palms. She furrowed her dark eyebrows and clenched her teeth as she realized that he could only be a trained fighter.

The two locked eyes in a glare. He kicked his right leg behind her knee, making it give out. Bambi cried out from the pain and released his arm as she directed her fall into a backward roll. She sprung back up in the moonlight before he had time to attack, narrowing her eyes at him as she held her opened palms in front of her. The attacker charged at her again, and she redirected his punch to her left, leaving him standing beside her in the moonlight. The teen launched her open palm at his side, narrowly grazing it as he dodged.

The two continued their deadly dance along the moonlit alley. Glancing blow after glancing blow, the fight seemed evenly matched. Bambi could feel herself tiring, unused to fights with someone so skilled. She struggled against it, but her movements were becoming more sluggish, more delayed. The attacker planted his left foot in front as he pulled his right foot behind him. Her eyes widened as she recognized the stance. She tried to lean out of the way, but he was too fast. He launched his right leg up as he pivoted to the left. His shin slammed into the side of her head, sending her flying to the ground on her right.

Bambi's head was throbbing, and she could no longer think straight. She shakily tried to push herself up, but she collapsed again. The sound of a metallic click caught Bambi's attention. She rolled onto her side and looked up to find herself staring down the barrel of her attacker's gun. Her breath was caught in her throat, and a wave a dread passed over her.

A voice rang out from down the alley. "What the Hell are you doing?!"

Bambi glanced over to see a man with bright red hair running toward them. When her gaze returned to her attacker, Bambi saw that the newcomer had captured his attention—though, the attacker's gun was still trained on the young woman. With her own attention no longer focused on the gun, Bambi took note that his hood had fallen down at some point in their fight, revealing his face. His straight, blond hair stopped about an inch above his shoulders. His skin was peach, and his blue eyes were narrowed in anger as he looked at the newcomer.

He appeared to recognize the redhead and angrily shouted at him. "Ryuzaki told me that this guy has been following us and is interfering with the case!"

As the newcomer reached Bambi and the blond man, he gestured at the brunette with an exasperated look. "This guy is our new partner!"

Bambi took in his words, frowning in frustration as she figured it out. _That damn detective. He gave us all different instructions! I should have seen that coming._

The blond was about to retort when his phone rang. Keeping the gun pointed at Bambi with one hand, he fished the phone out of his pocket with the other hand. The blond answered the phone. After a short pause, he narrowed his eyes and lowered the gun.

As he walked away to talk, the redhead helped Bambi sit up. "Sorry about that. I'm Matt, one of your new partners for the case."

Bambi shook off her frustration and looked over to respond to the redhead. "Well, it's nice meeting you, Matt—though, I wish it were under different circumstances." The brunette briefly laughed before adding, "I'm Bambi."

As Matt helped her stand up, Bambi took in his appearance. He wore a tan, fur-lined vest over a black and white stripped shirt. Dark goggles sat over his eyes, the straps hidden under his messy red hair.

The blond man returned with his phone in his pocket and a clear look of anger on his face. Matt raised a questioning eyebrow at the man, to which the blond snapped, "You know damn well what he said!"

As Bambi realized that the call must have been L revealing the truth, Matt addressed the blond and gestured at the young woman next to him. "Meet our new partner, Bambi."

The blond promptly laughed before commenting, "With a weak name like that, it's no wonder that you suck at fighting."

Bambi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she asked the blond, "Well, what's your name?"

He folded his arms over his chest. "Mello."

"That sounds just about as threatening as a pacifist, but we both know that's obviously not true either." Bambi retorted without missing a beat. "As for my name, I find it that the more the other guy underestimates me, the easier it is to win."

Mello glared at her, his fists clenched so hard that his arms were shaking. He took a step closer so that he was right in Bambi's face.

As he spoke, his voice was low and seething in anger. "You had better consider yourself lucky, pal, because if it weren't for the fact that Ryuzaki said we have to work together, I would be beating you to a pulp right now. I'll let it slide this time, but if you try to insult me again—if you so much as get in my way—I'll be sending your corpse back to that brat you work with."

Bambi felt shivers crawl down her spine at his words, and she immediately regretted her own. Mello backed away before walking down the alley to where he had parked his motorcycle.

Matt watched as Mello pulled out of the alley before speaking. "I wouldn't suggest doing anything like that again. Mello can be pretty violent if you get on his bad side."

As Bambi looked in the direction that Mello took off in, she commented, "Yeah, no kidding."

Matt smiled at the brunette as he continued, "But, he's a pretty cool guy if you're on his good side."

Bambi let out a small chuckle. "I guess that's what I'm going to have to aim for, but I don't think he'll let this go anytime soon."

"Well, we'd better get you back to HQ."

~o~

A man watched carefully from a dark room as the motorcycle drove off into the night. His full attention was on the girl who the rider had just fought with. His newest opponent. The person who replaced him as B. As the young woman spoke to the redhead, he took in her exhausted appearance. His lips curved into cheshire-like grin as the brunette followed the boy to the car, wobbling with each step she took. He looked just above her head to see that which only he could see.

"Well, well," he quietly cooed. "It looks like our little Bambi is really Amelia Stein."

He then silently plugged the numbers that floated above her head into that equation that he had gotten so accustomed to using. His smile grew even wider as he held back his cackle in favor of keeping his silence. _Perfect._


	3. LABB 2.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated November 3, 2014. Extended the chapter November 16, 2014.

The first several minutes of the drive were drowned in an awkward silence.

Matt was the first to break the silence with an amused tone. "So, you're Bambi, huh?"

The brunette smiled and shook her head as she laughed. "Yes, and you're Matt."

The redhead smirked, proud that someone else enjoyed his humor. "Well then, I'm looking forward to working with you, Bambi. It will be nice to see how well my intended-partner and I will work together."

Bambi's brown eyes opened wide. "How did you know about that?"

"Oh, come on. The file says we have the same skill set. Don't tell me that you didn't get curious and try to hack the boss' files too? How else could you have known?" He teased, smirking at the brunette again.

Bambi tossed her arms up in defeat as she playfully replied, "Alright, you caught me. Obviously we're a lot alike." The pair of hackers shared a hearty laugh before the young woman added, "But, if you start finishing my sentences I'm putting you on the top of my list of people to smack. Got that?"

Matt smiled as he jokingly answered, "I've got it, oh, mighty Bambi."

The young woman smiled and looked out the window as she felt an uncharacteristic blush rising to her cheeks. As she watched the buildings go by, Bambi noticed that most of them were hotels. The car then slowed down as Matt pulled into one of the parking lots next to what was presumably Mello's motorcycle. As Matt shut off the car, Bambi looked up at the building. It looked to be about five or six stories tall. While it didn't exactly look like a five star hotel, it didn't look like a dump either.

Bambi opened her car door and stepped out of the car while Matt did the same on his side. As she tried to walk toward the entrance, a wave of dizziness washed over her. The brunette put a hand against her throbbing head as she winced. At the same time, she leaned against the car, trying to regain her balance. Matt noticed and walked around the car to Bambi.

The young man put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, do you want some help?"

Bambi lowered her hand and smiled as she stood up straight. "Thanks, but I'll be fine."

Matt took his hand off her shoulder and locked the car before the two of them started walking toward the hotel entrance. After only a few steps, Bambi started wavering again and tripped over her own two feet. A pair of arms stabilized her and helped her stand up straight.

As she looked over to Matt, she awkwardly laughed and admitted, "Okay, maybe I do need some help."

"That's what I thought."

As Matt put his arm around Bambi's waist, she reached her arm up and around his shoulders. The pair slowly made their way into the hotel lobby, where a strong scent of chlorinated pool-water filled the air. Matt directed Bambi into a small elevator, which climbed to the third floor before letting them out. The hackers walked halfway down the hallway before stopping at one of the rooms.

The first thing Bambi saw as she walked in were copious computer screens lining the counters of the room. The brunette looked around and saw a door to the bathroom, a small closet, a door that she assumed led to a bedroom, and a small kitchen. After shedding her coat and scarf, Matt helped Bambi across the room to a couch and a pair of chairs surrounding a small coffee table. The couch was occupied by Mello, who was eating a bar of chocolate while holding a couch pillow to his side, hiding what seemed to be an ice pack.

Matt gestured toward the chairs as he addressed Bambi. "Go ahead and grab yourself a seat. I'll get you some ice, and then we'll brief you on the case."

As the redhead walked into the kitchen, Bambi sat down in the chair across from Mello. The blond glared daggers at the young woman as he munched on his chocolate bar. Bambi avoided holding eye contact with him, instead choosing to look over to Matt in the kitchen, feeling awkward.

After a few minutes, the redhead returned with a pack of frozen peas and a stack of manilla folders. He passed between Bambi and Mello as he handed the brunette the peas and spread the folders out on the table. The young woman quickly thanked Matt, relieved that he broke some of the tension.

Matt sat down between Bambi and Mello and handed the brunette one of the case files before he began. "The murders have been spread out over the past six months, but we have only been investigating since August. There were three murders in the time before we began our investigation."

Bambi opened the folder to find data and images from the first murder. The scene was gruesome, so she decided to give the files a more thorough look later.

"The victims were all completely unalike, each different age groups, sexes, ethnicities, you name it—if it could be different, it was different. I'll let you read the specifics on your own later." Matt pointed to the folders on the table as he continued. "Each of the crime scenes had two things in common: all fingerprints on the scene were wiped clean, and each scene had a typed message written in a cipher. It was too difficult for the cops to decode, so, they called in L."

Bambi commented, "I see, and you were called in because L was too busy."

"Bingo." The redhead smirked as he continued. "Back at Wammy's, we had some pretty advanced training in coding and decoding, among other things."

Mello was growing impatient and snapped, "Quit your bragging and just get on with it."

Matt laughed at his best friend before getting back on topic. "Anyway, when we got our hands on the messages, it still took us a month to find the key to decoding them. Luckily for us, it was the same cipher for each message. Unfortunately, very few of the messages made any sense–most of them were quotes from some sort of movie or fairy tale, or just something that seems random. If anything, they seem to be a taunt to us, and L."

Matt stopped, allowing Bambi to take all of the information in. She sat there silently as she thought. _The messages make it clear that the culprit wanted to take credit for each of the murders. It can't be a hate crime if he killed such a variety of people. With different age groups, it's unlikely that the culprit had anything against the individuals killed. I'll have to see if they have any common ties, like going to a specific church, or something like that. But, those messages. They were difficult for these two, and they even had extensive training in code breaking. The contents of the messages make it seem like the culprit didn't mean for them to be solved, though I could be wrong. They still had to be included for some reason. Wait a minute. The messages were too difficult for the cops, so they called in L. What if the culprit isn't trying to get the cops to investigate his case, but L? Of course! And the messages were more complex than the police could handle, and Wammy's taught about code creating. Maybe..._

When she came to her conclusion, Bambi spoke up. "It sounds to me like whoever did this is an ex-Wammy kid who's hopelessly obsessed with beating L."

Mello raised his eyebrow and exchanged glances with Matt.

The redhead then smiled before asking, "Ever hear of the Wara Ningyo murder cases?" Bambi shook her head and let Matt continue. "Well, a few years ago there was a case in which three people were killed, each with a number of Wara Ningyo dolls nailed to the walls. People started calling them the Wara Ningyo murders, but we know it as LABB. Like this case, each of the murders were different, all fingerprints were wiped from the scene, and the victims were not connected—though, our current case has more of a variety. Anyway, the last 'victim' was the culprit, who attempted suicide to create the perfect crime that even L couldn't solve."

As Matt paused, Bambi argued, "If he went up against L, I really don't think that this could be the same guy. L probably got him thrown in jail when it happened. It's more likely that our culprit is some sort of copy-cat killer who admired the fame garnered by the original culprit."

"I'm not finished yet." He teased with a cocky smile. "The culprit's name was Beyond Birthday, one of the first children brought up at Wammy's to succeed L. He was a genius, but because of his obsession with beating our esteemed detective, he ran away, planning this 'perfect crime'. Beyond was caught and jailed by L with the help of an FBI agent named Naomi Misora, but he recently escaped prison. The guards covered it up and still claim that he's in prison, but their surveillance videos say otherwise." He winked. "L found out and sent us here to solve the case that was obviously Beyond's new challenge to L"

As Matt finished, Bambi's face twisted slightly in concern as she took in the new information. _This guy is probably smarter than me. Not only that, but he is violent and unpredictable. I'll have to be cautious from here on out._

She scrunched her nose before asking, "So, all of the murders have happened in Los Angeles, right?"

"Right," the redhead confirmed.

"He's probably staying close by, then," she concluded. "Have you guys checked all the buildings yet?"

"We've checked what we could, but the cops didn't like the idea of us doing it without a warrant," Matt explained. "It's a little tough to get things like that done with just the two of us here. But, from what we were able to cover, we did find out that Beyond has a few safe houses around the city. They're always pretty close to his victims."

Bambi frowned. "How do you know they belonged to him and not someone else?"

"The weapons we found at the locations matched the ones that were used to kill his victims, and the blood on them matched the victim's DNA too." He paused for a moment before adding, "Well, that and all the strawberry jam."

The brunette scrunched her nose and raised an eyebrow. "Strawberry jam?"

"Yeah, that was practically all he ever ate back at Wammy's."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Weird, but alright."

While Bambi opened the folder in her hands, she furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait a minute." She looked back up to Matt. "You guys checked the buildings around the hotel, right?"

As Matt opened his mouth to respond, Mello growled, "What the Hell do you think, dumbass?"

Bambi shared a glare with the blond as Matt clarified, "Yeah, that was one of the first things we did."

Mello crossed his arms as he flashed a triumphant smirk at the brunette. Bambi's expression relaxed, making his smirk widen. A few moments passed before she stuck her tongue out at him.

Mello's expression contorted into a snarl as he furrowed his eyebrows and roared, "How old are you, _four?"_

"No, I'm seven." She crossed her arms and smirked.

As the blond tightened his hands into fists, Matt told him, "She's actually your age."

Mello redirected his attention to the girl across from him, only to have her stick her tongue out at him again. He snorted before getting up and marching toward the kitchen. This time the triumphant smirk belonged to Bambi.

After a few moments of silence between the group, Matt stood up and announced, "Well, I'm going to go order us some pizza. Bambi, you should get reading on those files."

The sound of her name caught the brunette's attention.

"Yes sir." She sent a mock salute in Matt's general direction.

As the redhead walked toward the door, he playfully called out, "I'll be back in a bit kiddies; try not to kill each other while I'm gone."

Bambi chuckled and looked back down to the manila folder in her hands. Ignoring the images, she found a few pages containing the basic information for each of the ten murders, most likely organized by Matt or Mello for convenience.

> \- Victim 1:  
>  Date of Death: June 26  
>  Race: Caucasian  
>  Sex: Male  
>  Age: 34 years  
>  Marital Status: Single  
>  Sexual Orientation: Unknown  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim was homeless and had a history of alcoholism. The body was found in an alley.  
>  Cause of Death: Multiple lacerations to the chest  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated message: "The king has returned."
> 
> \- Victim 2:  
>  Date of Death: July 17  
>  Race: Hispanic  
>  Sex: Female  
>  Age: 53 years  
>  Marital Status: Divorced  
>  Sexual Orientation: Homosexual  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim was on vacation. The body was found in an alley outside her hotel.  
>  Cause of Death: Blunt-force trauma to the head  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated Message: "Have you ever seen the rain?"
> 
> \- Victim 3:  
>  Date of Death: August 7  
>  Race: African American  
>  Sex: Female  
>  Age: 17 years  
>  Marital Status: Dating  
>  Sexual Orientation: Homosexual  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim was a waitress at a local café. She was disowned by her family and had been living with her girlfriend's family for two years. The body was found near the café.  
>  Cause of Death: Deep laceration across the throat  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated Message: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
> 
> \- Victim 4:  
>  Date of Death: August 28  
>  Race: Native American  
>  Sex: Male  
>  Age: 76 years  
>  Marital Status: Married  
>  Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim was retired. The body found in his home.  
>  Cause of Death: Poison  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated Message: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?"
> 
> \- Victim 5:  
>  Date of Death: September 18  
>  Race: Hispanic  
>  Sex: Male  
>  Age: 48 years  
>  Marital Status: Married  
>  Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim had four children. He was a gardener, and recently gained US citizenship. The body was found near the home of a client.  
>  Cause of Death: Shot to the head  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated Message: "Do you fear the force of the wind, the slash of the rain?"
> 
> \- Victim 6:  
>  Date of Death: October 9  
>  Race: Caucasian  
>  Sex: Male  
>  Age: 23 years  
>  Marital Status: Dating  
>  Sexual Orientation: Transgender  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim was in a relationship with a man. His family supported him. He worked at a gay bar as a bar tender. The body was found in his home.  
>  Cause of Death: Electrocution  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated Message: "You can't handle the truth!"
> 
> \- Victim 7:  
>  Date of Death: October 23  
>  Race: Asian  
>  Sex: Female  
>  Age: 39 years  
>  Marital Status: Single  
>  Sexual Orientation: Bisexual  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim was beginning her political career. She was a member of the town council as a Republican. The body was found outside her car.  
>  Cause of Death: Asphyxiation  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated Message: "Young fool. Only now, at the end, do you understand."
> 
> \- Victim 8:  
>  Date of Death: November 6  
>  Race: Caucasian  
>  Sex: Male  
>  Age: 62 years  
>  Marital Status: Divorced  
>  Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim was a Russian military veteran. He was visiting the United States to see a friend. The body was found en route from a bar to the hotel with high blood-alcohol levels. A struggle was apparent at the scene.  
>  Cause of Death: Multiple shots to the head and chest  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated Message: "Grandmother, what great teeth you have!"
> 
> \- Victim 9:  
>  Date of Death: November 20  
>  Race: Asian  
>  Sex: Female  
>  Age: 16 years  
>  Marital Status: Dating  
>  Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim was a high school dropout. She lived with her boyfriend and was jobless. The body was found in the boyfriend's house.  
>  Cause of Death: Stab wound through the heart  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated Message: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair for me."
> 
> \- Victim 10:  
>  Date of Death: December 4  
>  Race: Hispanic  
>  Sex: Male  
>  Age: 67 years  
>  Marital Status: Single  
>  Sexual Orientation: Unknown  
>  Officer's Notes: The victim worked as a security guard at a local baseball park. The body was found in an alley outside a local bar with impairment drugs in the system.  
>  Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma to the head  
>  Manner of Death: Homicide  
>  Translated Message: "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy."

"Man, when he said that they were different, he really meant it." Bambi mumbled to herself before putting the pages away and beginning to go through all of the evidence more thoroughly.


	4. Hot Blooded Frustration

*** * * December 12 * * ***

Bambi opened her eyes, dazed and confused. She found herself sitting in a chair in a hotel room, manila folders scattered around her. There was an empty pizza box on the floor, and a warm pack of peas next to her. On the brunette's lap was a folder opened to pictures of a bloody crime scene.

The young woman took note that her head had finally stopped hurting as she wiped her eyes and mumbled, "Oh, right, the M-squared investigation." She scanned the room to find a familiar man with bright red hair and goggles over his eyes sitting with his laptop open.

He looked over to her and playfully greeted, "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

Bambi yawned, still feeling groggy, and asked, "What time is it?"

"About 9:30am. You fell asleep while sifting through the photos, and I figured I would let you sleep."

The brunette blinked owlishly in disbelief. _9:30am? That's past noon back in DC! How could I have slept so late? That's the total opposite of how my jet lag should be._

She shook her concerns off before looking around, only to find no Mello in sight.

Matt noticed the confusion on her face and piped up as he pointed to the bedroom door. "Mello's sleeping too, but on the bed." He then closed his laptop and walked toward the kitchen. "Anyway, we should probably get some breakfast."

Bambi stretched her arms over her head before getting up and commenting, "Food sounds good."

As she walked into the small kitchen, Matt instructed, "Just take what you want. You'll have to make it yourself, though."

Bambi nodded, still feeling tired. She then checked the refrigerator and located a small carton of eggs. After preparing herself a small omelet, Bambi sat down at the dining table next to Matt. Soon after, they were joined at the table by Mello. Breakfast between the three was silent, as Mello brought a thick fog of tension to the table. When everyone was finished and ready to start investigating again, Mello's phone began to ring.

The blond answered it and was silent for a few minutes as the person on the other line spoke. Mello then before ended the call with, "We'll be there soon."

Bambi raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask the question on her mind.

Mello looked over to Matt, relaying to his friend, "They found two more scenes with encoded messages. The scenes are on opposite sides of town, though, so we'll need to split up to cover them both." He continued, telling him the locations.

As Bambi listened to the information, she became suspicious. _Two messages on the same day? That hasn't happened before. Something's not right._

Matt agreed, but to Mello's surprise, the redhead added, "I'll go with Bambi."

Mello's eyes narrowed. "What the Hell do you mean you'll go with Bambi?"

"Well, Bambi can't go alone, and you're the reason why." Matt paused to gesture at the bruise on her head. "So, I don't think you two would get along well enough to investigate a scene together. Besides, I want to see how well my intended-partner works with me."

Mello was obviously hurt by his friend's words and turned toward the door with a short, "Fine."

Bambi winced as the blond slammed the door shut before commenting, " _May_ be you should have left that last part out."

The redhead shrugged his shoulders. "It shouldn't be a big deal. It's only temporary—it's not like we're trading partners or anything. Besides, I'm allowed to be curious whenever I want."

Although Bambi saw his point, she wasn't sure that his friend would. She followed the redhead out of the hotel and to his car.

As Matt drove off he explained, "We have a deal with the police that whenever they call us in, they have to leave the scene alone for an hour to give us time to investigate unseen. By the time that we get there we won't have too long, since this scene is particularly far away."

Bambi waited for a moment as she processed the information. "That's great that they give us privacy to investigate, but leaving the scene unattended for so long is pretty dangerous—especially knowing that this Beyond person was a Whammy student."

"I'm sure we'll be fine."

The rest of the ride was silent as Bambi immersed herself in thought. She realized that she had never physically been to the scene of a violent crime. Despite this, the young woman wasn't too concerned—she had seen pictures and knew the general methods of investigation.

After parking in front of a small house, Matt tossed Bambi a box filled with latex gloves and shoe covers. "You'll need these. You don't want to contaminate the scene and end up one of the suspects, do ya?"

The brunette laughed at his comment. "That would be a problem, wouldn't it?"

After the pair had donned the gloves and shoe covers, Matt pulled out a camera and stepped out of the car, followed closely by Bambi.

As she cautiously followed her companion inside, she mused, "I'm almost surprised that we're not in an alley—he seems to kill a lot of people in those."

Matt let out a soft chuckle. "Actually, the other body was in one."

"Figures." Bambi commented as she closed the front door behind her.

As the pair looked around the front room, Matt said, "We won't be looking over every single detail—we'll let the forensics team do that. We are here just to get a look at the scene and the message or anything that we know would point to Beyond."

"Okay." Bambi replied as she scanned the room, finding it to be completely normal.

After deciding that there was nothing to find, the young woman took a left into the kitchen. She froze in the doorway as her gaze landed on the scene. There was blood spatter everywhere. There was a pool of blood where the body once was. A bloody hammer was placed on the counter next to a sheet of paper with an encoded message printed on it. Bambi felt a strong pit of dread settle in her stomach. She placed a shaky hand against the door frame to stabilize herself, the sheer amount of blood making her feel faint.

Matt took note of her reaction and tried to lighten the mood. He lifted his camera with a quick, "smile~!"

As Bambi looked up, Matt smiled and reassured her, "We won't be here for long. I just need to get a few pictures and we can go."

The brunette smiled weakly and nodded as she said, "Okay."

She stepped aside, letting the redhead into the kitchen. Bambi took a deep breath to clear her mind before joining Matt in looking for any important details. After Matt finished taking his pictures, the pair of hackers returned to the car and left.

When they got back to the room, Matt immediately plugged the camera into a computer to upload and print the pictures. Soon after, Mello returned with his own camera and did the same. Once both sets of pictures were printed, the trio of investigators gathered around the dining table to sift through them.

Mello was the first to speak up. "Both messages are the same, but they are in a different format than usual." The blond then turned to Matt. "Hey, see if they can be translated by the same key."

Matt took the pictures as he stood up. "Can do, my friend."

As the redhead walked over to his laptop, Bambi noticed that Matt printed the picture that he took of her. The young woman frowned as she plucked the picture from the pile.

_Why did he have to print this?_ She wondered as she scrutinized her appearance.

Bambi scrunched her nose at her sickly-pale complexion, unhappy to have such an embarrassing moment caught on camera. A light blush came to her cheeks as she realized that she was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Just when she was about to toss the photo in the trash, her eyes caught something unusual in the background. _Is that...?_

The young woman asked aloud for one of the boys to answer. "What does Beyond look like?"

Matt looked up, concern clear on his face. Mello reached across the table and snatched the photograph out of Bambi's hands.

The young woman let out an annoyed, "Hey!"

Mello paid her no attention as he stared at the background of the image in his hands. Sure enough, passing by the window in the room behind Bambi was the escapee himself: Beyond Birthday.

Mello tossed the photo aside as he grabbed his keys and booked out the door, intending to find the murderer. Several minutes later, Matt's program translated the new message. When he and Bambi looked over the translated message, they realized just how different it were from the past ten. Rather than sentences, this message translated into an odd code that read:

_one-four-three_  
six-five-five  
ten-five-three 

_four-twelve-one_  
two-six-two  
three-eighteen-two  
nine-four-four 

_one-two-two  
five-ten-four_

_eight-one-six_  
ten-three-four  
three-fourteen-one  
seven-seven-one 

****

*** * * December 16 * * ***

Days had passed, yet no progress had been made. Frankly, Bambi was frustrated. She was frustrated at the lack of progress being made in the case. She was frustrated at the attitude that Mello kept giving her. Most of all, she was really frustrated that she still couldn't think straight.

Later in the day, while Mello was out again and Matt was on his laptop, Bambi changed into a bathing suit and made her way down to the indoor pool to cool her rising temper. Rather than joining the people in the large pool, she carefully stepped into the smaller hot tub. The young woman immediately felt the therapeutic heat relax her troubles away.

Not even five minutes had passed before she heard stomping feet approaching her, followed by the familiar, angry voice of Mello. "What do you think you're doing?"

Bambi pinched the bridge of her nose to subdue her rising temper. "Relaxing."

Mello took a step closer, so he was right behind her. His voice was low and stern as he commanded, "Get out. We have work to do."

Bambi could no longer hide her irritation as she snapped, "No, I'll be up in a bit."

Mello grabbed a fistful of her hair and began to pull, trying to drag het out. Just as quickly, Bambi reached back and latched onto his shirt before flipping him over her head and into the hot tub in front of her.

He stood up, soaking wet and fuming, as he roared, "What the Hell is your problem?!"

Bambi followed suit, standing up and getting in Mello's face, just as he did to her on that first day. Mello's eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at her.

She yelled right back at him. "I should be asking you the same thing! I haven't done anything to you and all you have done the past week is give me a hard time. I'm sick of it!"

Without another word, Bambi stepped out of the hot tub, grabbed her towel, and headed for the elevator, leaving Mello behind.

As he stood there, fully clothed in the hot tub, one of the lifeguards piped up. "Sorry about your girlfriend, pal."

Mello was pulled out of his thoughts, embarrassed and furious. He roared at the man "Shut the Hell up! That was none of your damn business!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have all of the information needed to solve the puzzle of the message if you want to give it a shot. The answer isn't revealed until chapter six.


	5. In the Fray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated November 3, 2014. A new scene was added to the end of the chapter.

When Bambi reached the third floor, she quickly made her way to the room, grabbed some clothes out of her suitcase, and stepped into the bathroom. Over the course of taking a shower, Bambi heard the door slam multiple times as Mello stormed in, dried off, and stormed back out. After drying off her body, the brunette changed into a pair of jeans and a form-fitting baseball tee. As Bambi brushed her wet hair, her phone began to ring.

She picked it up, answering with a defeated, "Hello?"

"B, this is N." Bambi smiled as she heard her scrambled voice program on the other line. "I am finished with our case, and I will be flying to LA in one hour with G as a temporary escort. L has already given me your location."

"I'll see you in the morning, then."

"Goodbye."

The young woman let a sigh of relief escape her lips as the line went dead. _Thank goodness. The sooner Near gets here, the sooner we can leave._

Bambi put her phone down to finish brushing her hair. After that, she took a step toward the bathroom door. She promptly slipped on a puddle and landed with a loud thud. Although the brunette barely had enough time to react in her current condition, she had managed to protect her head from further damage.

As Bambi laid face-down on the floor, stunned, she heard Matt call out from the other room, "Are you okay?"

The young woman pushed herself up and began to pull her legs underneath her torso to get in the position to stand. "I'm fi—aaah!" Pain seared through her ankle, cutting her off mid-sentence. Bambi heard footsteps hurry to the bathroom as she collapsed again.

Matt's voice rang out, "Hey! Bambi, can you hear me?"

The brunette struggled through her pain to respond, "Yeah." She rolled onto her side and looked at her ankles. The right one was fine, but her left ankle was already beginning to look swollen. "I think I busted my ankle."

There was silence as Bambi carefully pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing at the pain as she shifted her ankle. She leaned against the cabinet behind her, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath to calm herself.

Matt spoke again, sounding wary. "Are... are you dressed?"

"Yeah."

The brunette would have sworn that she heard Matt sigh in relief before responding, "Okay, I'm coming in."

Matt opened the door, careful not to hit the injured investigator. He kneeled down next to Bambi and put his arm around her waist as she put her arm over his shoulders. After helping her up, Matt helped her out of the bathroom and to the couch, walking slowly as the brunette hopped on her right leg. Bambi sat down and carefully lifted her legs onto the couch, wincing at even the slightest movement from her left ankle.

The young man tried to lighten the mood as he smiled and commented, "Man, first you get beat up by Mello, and now by gravity. This just isn't your week, is it?"

A bitter laugh escaped Bambi's lips. "You could say that again."

"We're out of frozen peas, so I'll be right back with an ice pack for that." Matt explained before heading out the door.

Bambi sat there in silence, trying to ignore the pain as she looked at the window. Although it was covered by a curtain, watching the lighting behind it fade was enough to pose a mild distraction from her ankle. Another several minutes passed before she heard the door open. The young woman looked up expectantly, but was quickly disappointed to find a grumpy-looking Mello entering the room. She folded her arms and pouted. Bambi returned her attention to the window as she thought, _Oh, great, it's Sir Yells-A-Lot._

The blond paused as he looked at Bambi with mixed emotions. He walked towards the couch without a word. Once there he gracelessly grabbed Bambi's legs and tossed them aside to make room for himself to sit. His irritation caused him to put so much force behind the action that the rest of the young woman followed suit and fell off the couch.

Involuntary tears streamed down Bambi's face in reaction to the intense pain. She still couldn't put the pressure on her ankle that she needed to walk away. Bambi kept her face turned away from the blond as she bit her lip. Her fingers dug into the couch, ripping the fabric as she sat there and tried to contain herself.

Mello sat down on the couch, assuming that the brunette was just being a drama queen like most other girls he knew were. He took a bite from his chocolate bar and looked up to find his best friend standing in the doorway, ice pack in hand, as he stared wide-eyed at the spectacle.

Matt looked at his blond friend, visibly frustrated, before saying in an unusually stern voice, "We need to talk."

Bambi was humiliated that she was in such a pathetic state that she had to be carried away from a conflict. She couldn't even stay strong enough to stand on her own in front of her opponent. Bambi laid back on the bed, put a pillow over her face and let out a frustrated and exasperated sigh.

~o~

After closing the door behind him, Matt walked over to Mello crossed his arms and began lecturing him. "Dude, this is starting to get ridiculous, and it needs to stop."

Mello's lips formed a thin line as he narrowed his eyes, avoiding eye-contact. He felt like a child.

~o~

After Bambi calmed down a bit, she noticed a cool breeze caressing her exposed skin. She scrunched her nose in confusion as she began to pull the pillow off her face. _The window wasn't open earlier._ Once the pillow was fully removed, Bambi recoiled in fear. In front of her, trying to creep onto the bed, was a familiar man with messy black hair and a slasher smile on his face.

Bambi opened her mouth to scream for help, but he was to fast. Like a lion catching its prey, the murderer pounced on her, sitting on the brunette's midsection as he held a cloth over her mouth and nose. Bambi desperately tried to pry his hands off, but he was just too strong.

~o~

Matt continued, "The only thing she did to you was insult you the first day. That's it! Nothing else. She even tried to work with you throughout the week, but you wouldn't have it. The only reason you have to be mad at her is because she works with Near, and you can't judge her solely off that!"

Mello looked back up to Matt and yelled, "If you like her so damn much why don't you just ask to permanently work with your _intended-partner_?"

Matt rolled his eyes at the comment. "Oh, come on. Is that what this is about? I explained that to you already. It's not like she's going to be here forever, and, like it or not, we _all_ have to work together."

~o~

Bambi could feel the drugs in her system taking over to leave her unconscious in a few minutes. Her head was beginning to feel funny, and it was getting difficult to feel her arms. She urgently needed to get away. As Bambi continued to struggle against the cloth, she looked at her attacker. Beyond's arms were long enough that Bambi wouldn't be able to reach his head to retaliate, but his stomach wasn't. If she tried to strike there, he would either double over in pain, or arch himself so his stomach was out of reach, leaving his head vulnerable.

Dubbing this a win-win situation, Bambi decided to go for it. With one hand, she threw a punch at the murderer's gut, and he took the second option. Just as quickly, Bambi took her other hand and punched him in the temple, causing him to fall to the side. Taking advantage of this, Bambi rolled out from under him and onto the floor with a low thud.

~o~

Mello directed his attention to the bedroom door, having thought that he heard something, as Matt continued, "Besides, I think that if you would just give her a chance you two might actually get along, and that would make it so much easier for us to work together and actually make some progress."

Mello cut Matt off by shushing him.

Matt retorted, "Have you been listening to any of th-"

Mello cut him off again, this time asking, "Did you hear that?"

Matt furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, following Mello's gaze to the door. Concerned, he walked across the room, calling out "Hey, Bambi, are you alright in there?"

~o~

Bambi heard Matt's voice calling out to her, but she couldn't distinguish what he said. She was so drugged that she could barely move, let alone call out for help. Bambi struggled to crawl toward the door, which she could now see had been locked. As soon as she made it past the bed, Bambi's arms were pulled to her sides. Beyond sat on her back, blocking any effective movement. He then pulled the cloth under Bambi's head and back onto her nose and mouth, holding it there until she blacked out.

~o~

Matt called out again as he reached the door, "Bambi?"

He took hold of the door knob and tried to let himself in, only to find that the door was locked. Matt's eyes widened in fear, and Mello sprang up, both of them painfully aware that you couldn't stand on your own, let alone get up and lock the door. Matt ran to a box in the corner of the room to find some tools to pick the lock.

As he searched, a man's laughter rang out from inside the bedroom, "I'd like to thank you two for this, especially you, Mihael."

At the sound of his real name Mello ran to the door and tried to force his way through.

Satisfied with the reaction, Beyond continued in a mocking tone. "It would have been much more difficult to acquire my prize if it weren't for you~."

The voice fell silent, and less than thirty seconds later, Mello managed to break down the door. He rushed inside to find the blankets and a pillow strewn about, and the open window: the escape route.

Mello ran to the window, looking out. He saw the fire escape underneath the window, and Beyond making his way to a black car with Bambi's limp body draped over his shoulder. Mello launched himself out the window and onto the fire escape as he tried to descend as quickly as possible.

As he got closer to the bottom, Mello heard the car start, so he skipped the final ladder and jumped over the edge. He ran after the car, but it was much faster than him, and sped off into the night. Mello stopped the chase, cursing himself for leaving the keys to his motorcycle in the room. Back in the bedroom, Matt looked around for any note that Beyond might have left behind. In his search, he found a small USB drive placed in plain sight on the night stand.

Seven hours later, Mello had just gotten off the phone with the Chief of Police. He walked over to Matt, informing him, "They ran the plates. Apparently it was the stolen vehicle of his last victim. He said that he would have his patrol officers keep an extra eye out for it."

Matt nodded his head, his eyes glued to his screen.

Mello continued, referring to the USB drive that Matt had found earlier. "Find anything yet?"

Matt replied, "No, not yet. I'm still trying to make sure that there is nothing on it that will corrupt our files."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Matt briefly glanced at the door before returning to his laptop, as Mello, though surprised, went to the door and opened it. Standing there were Near and Gevanni, holding a few suitcases. Mello narrowed his eyes at his rival, but let them in. Gevanni set the suitcases down in the closet before making his leave, wishing the team luck as he closed the door behind him.

Near looked around the room before asking, "Where is Bambi?"

Matt piped up, knowing that Mello wouldn't want to admit it to Near, "Beyond has her."

Near frowned and spoke with an unusual tone in his voice. "You let a serial killer kidnap my partner?"

Mello clenched his fists, and Matt sighed at the comment, before replying, "Yes, and we are working on finding them now. The files for the rest of the case are on the table."

Near waited for a moment before shuffling to the table. He twirled his hair as he opened the first file.

~o~

Beyond stopped at another safe house for the third time that night. The girl was starting to wake up again, so he had to make this quick. He hid the stolen vehicle behind the abandoned building before running inside and taking out a bottle of chloroform that he had purchased. He poured a previously-calculated amount of the chemical into a measuring cup before sealing the bottle and taking out a fresh rag from the same cabinet.

It's amazing what some people will do for money, he silently mused as he soaked the rag in the drug.

The murderer rushed back out to the car, keeping the rag away from his face to avoid the toxic fumes as the liquid rapidly evaporated. He opened the rear door to see Amelia still sprawled out across the seat. He carefully crawled over her body and hovered over her face, his legs on either side of her torso. He slipped a hand under her cheek before lifting to make the girl face him. She groaned lightly at the touch, her eyebrows furrowing slightly, but there was no movement aside from that. Beyond knew that if he delayed this any further, she may be able to regain her senses. The girl moaned in distress as he held the chloroform-soaked rag over her nose and mouth, confirming that she was at least slightly aware of what was going on.

He leaned in toward her ear as he whispered, "Hush, girl. You don't want to cause a ruckus. No one is around to hear you anyway."

As the whimpers quieted down into silence, he checked her pulse and the numbers above her head. The numbers hadn't changed, and her pulse had returned to a more acceptable rate. Beyond crawled back out of the car before closing the door behind him. He returned to the building and fetched a jar of strawberry jam out of the cabinet. As he consumed the contents, he turned on the television to check for the locations of police checkpoints that were looking for him and Amelia. He smiled as he calculated a new route before returning to the cabinet, this time taking out a syringe. The contents were the latest the engineers of the black market could offer.

Beyond than returned to the car and opened the back door again. He crawled to the girl's torso before carefully taking off the syringe's cap. He rolled up the unconscious teen's sleeve and stuck the syringe into her arm before forcing the contents into her body. Then, he backed out of the car and carefully discarded the empty syringe into a garbage bin. After checking the time, the murderer returned to the car and drove off toward his final destination.


	6. Prisoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, guys. From this point on, _The Fawn_ is rated M. Although most M-rated stories are rated for sexual situations, this is rated for the (mostly) off-screen violence that occurs and the psychological damage from it. You have been warned. As a side note, being familiar with the character Beyond Birthday may help this arc make sense.
> 
> New scene added to the beginning November 16, 2014.

*** * * December 17 * * ***

Beyond adjusted the dead weight of the girl he had slung over his shoulder as he switched on the lights in the hallway. After walking a short way, he opened a door to his left. He took a few steps into the room before tossing the body to the hard floor. He then took Amelia by her shoulders and propped her up against the wall beneath his new installation. He lifted her arms one and locked them in the pristine shackles before backing away somewhat. Her right wrist was hanging lower down than the left. A low growl emerged from the murderer's throat before his long fingers returned to the chains, adjusting them until her wrists were perfectly level.

Once satisfied with this, Beyond looked down to the body. Amelia's true name and lifespan floated above her dangling head. He put a hand on either side of her face, squishing her cheeks together as he lifted her head and placed it so she was facing the door. Brown locks fell in front of her face, making L's original B furrow his eyebrows with a grunt. He roughly ran his fingers through the girl's hair, forcing it out of her face and behind her ears. There was a moment of silence as his dark irises ghosted over the teen's unconscious form.

"It's a shame that you had to be caught in the middle of our war," he mused before standing. "Fate is an unforgiving woman, even to the innocent."

Beyond retreated to the adjacent room without so much as a glance back to his prisoner. The room was cluttered with cardboard boxes of various sizes, though some items seemed out of place. He walked over to the corner of the room before picking up a small video camera and tripod. After checking the clock on the wall, he picked up his pace and returned to Amelia's room. He set up the tripod and camera in the corner to the right before closing the door behind him and returning to the other room. Once there, he took a medium-sized metallic box and pushed it to the wall shared with the girl's room. He made sure that all the wires were in place before covering it with a large cardboard box. He then left the room and headed toward the stairs.

After making his way to the abandoned lobby, Beyond left the building and made the short trek to his nearest safe house. Once inside, the murderer made his way to the comfort of his control room. There was no light bulb, but the light from the computer screens was more than enough to allow the man to see what he was doing. He checked the computer to his right, making sure that the bomb was online and would only trigger when he input the right code. Then he looked to the surveillance video feeds on the other screens. All was silent in this area of the town. Finally, he looked to the blank screen to his left. He grabbed the appropriate keyboard and input his commands. A cheshire-like smile rose to his lips as the live video feed of Amelia began playing on the screen.

Beyond reached behind him and grabbed fresh bottle of water as he spoke aloud. "I'll wait until she wakes up."

~o~ 

Near had spent all morning looking through every detail of the evidence. He currently had Beyond's latest message in his hands; the other ten messages, both translated and untranslated, were spread out on the floor in front of him. He had been looking back and forth between the message in his hands and the first ten as he figured out the pieces to the puzzle behind the last message.

Near smirked in satisfaction, having figured out the secret, and announced, "The last message says: The fawn is mine."

Matt looked over to him as he asked, "Where did you get that from?"

Near twirled his hair. "The first number in each row corresponds to the message number, if you give them numbers in order of when they were recovered. The second number of each row corresponds to that number word in the decoded message, and the third number corresponds to a letter in the word. For example: the first row reads "one-four-three." The first decoded message reads "The king has returned," the fourth word of the message is "returned," and the third letter is "t". If you use that pattern for the rest of the message, you get: the fawn is mine."

Mello burst out, "That's great, but what the Hell is it supposed to mean?"

Near looked at the blond. "Are you familiar with the Disney film Bambi?"

Matt now realized where this was going, and said to himself, "Of course!" The redhead continued, explaining for Mello, "The main character is a young deer—a fawn—named Bambi; so our own Bambi—a young woman—must be the "fawn" Beyond's referring to."

Near looked at Matt and added, "Yes, and since he was at the house with you two, he must have planned to take her then. The only reason he didn't at that time was because you were there with her."

~o~

Bambi's eyes fluttered open. As her senses returned to her, the young woman could feel her body aching. As she looked around, the hacker could see that the room was dark except for a strip of light across from her. After a moment of contemplation she decided that it was was coming from underneath a door. The small amount of light was just enough to make it so her eyes couldn't adjust to see in the dark room.

 _There's no doubt that Beyond did that on purpose,_ she thought. _I need to come up with a way out of here. It will be harder without my sight, but doable._

The young woman took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She then closed her eyes to allow herself to focus on her other senses. Bambi could feel that she was sitting up against a wall. Her arms were being held over her head by a cold metallic material that was tightly bound around her wrists: shackles.

_I need to think of something I can use—something I actually have on me—to pick the lock,_ she realized before moving on.

She then tried to move her arms. She soon realized that she was only capable of moving them a few centimeters. As she moved, she heard a creaking and clanking sound. Bambi's heart nearly stopped at the noise, fearing that she may have alerted Beyond that she is awake. After a few moments of silence, she had concluded that Beyond was likely too far away to hear her, and the shackles had to be attached to the wall above her by chains.

Bambi took another calming breath before focusing on her lower half. She felt the cool floor with only her bare feet. A jolt of pain went through her ankle as she shifted. The hacker bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out in pain. As the sharp pain subsided into the dull feeling that she had been ignoring, Bambi deduced that she was still dressed, the floor was made of concrete, and her ankle was still either broken or sprained.

The captive investigator took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of musty and stale air with a hint of saltiness. With that information, she could tell that this building hadn't been occupied in a long time, no one had been killed here recently, and the room was likely near the ocean.

Given her last observation, Bambi realized, _With the ocean nearby, I may still be somewhere in LA._

Her attention was quickly drawn away from her thoughts as she heard a repetitive sound from the hallway getting louder and higher in pitch: someone was coming. As her heart rate began to race, Bambi took a shaky breath in attempt to calm herself. She knew enough about violent criminals and kidnappers to know that as soon as he got what he wanted, Beyond would kill her. She would have to give him no reaction if she wanted to live to see another day.

~o~

Back at the hotel, Mello addressed Matt as he asked, "Hey, did you figure out what was on that USB drive yet?"

Matt sighed before answering, "Well, I found one thing on it, but every time I try to open it, all I get is a message saying 'not connected.' I'm not entirely sure what it's connecting to, but I think we have to wait to see." He tried opening the file again, but to his surprise, he didn't get an error message. His eyes widened in disbelief. "It's working."

Mello stood behind his friend so he could see too, and Near looked up at the screen from his spot on the floor. What appeared to be a live video feed popped up on the screen. It was mostly dark, but the boys were just able to make out a figure in the room, chained to the wall. Light flooded into the room as the door opened. The trio of investigators could clearly see that the figure was their missing partner.

~o~

Bambi looked up as the door opened, the light nearly blinding her. She saw the silhouette of a man with messy hair and baggy clothes: most likely Beyond Birthday. As he approached her, she tried to pull her legs to her chest defensively. The man slammed his prisoner's legs to the ground and sat on her knees so she couldn't move.

He was close enough that his head blocked out enough light for Bambi to begin to make out his facial features. After a moment, the brunette recognized him as Beyond Birthday.

"You have such a childish name, Bambi—not that I judge people by their names." The murderer paused, watching his prisoner's face intently.

She narrowed her eyes and looked away, refusing to respond to his unusual statement.

After a few moments of silence, Beyond asked, "Do you know what name I like better than Bambi?"

The conversation made no sense, so Bambi decided that it must be one of his tactics to unnerve someone. Although she watched him out of the corner of her eye, she still refused to turn her head and respond.

"Amelia Stein," he cooed as his slasher smiled returned.

Bambi's heart began racing at the sound of her real name. She made sure that it wasn't in any of the files at the Whammy House Orphanage, so this proved that Beyond had done his research. She closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself down, mentally repeating, _No reaction. Give him no reaction._

Beyond continued as a teasing sweetness laced his voice. "It suits you so well, Amelia, yet you chose to go by a name from a children's movie. Why is that Amelia? Do you not wish to be Amelia Stein?"

She still refused to answer. The murderer became impatient, and frustrated at his prisoner's lack of response. He roughly grabbed the lower half of her face. Bambi's eyes shot open as he yanked her head to face him, forcing her to look him in the eye. A cold sweat began to drip down her neck as Beyond reached behind him with his other hand and pulled out a knife. He brought the knife to his prisoner's face, caressing her cheek with the flat section.

"My, my, Amelia, what a pretty face you have." He turned the knife, making a shallow cut across her cheek. She involuntarily winced at the pain as he continued, "It's almost a shame that you have to go this way." Beyond licked the end of the knife where her blood was as he emphasized, "Almost." He let go of her face and stood to leave. He closed the door behind him, leaving his prisoner in the darkness again.

Bambi let out a shaky breath as she closed her eyes. Tears of terror trickled down her cheeks as frightened chills went down her spine. Her palms tightened around the chains to her shackles as she tried to calm herself and think of a way out of the situation.

~o~

The boys heard bits and pieces of the conversation, and they watched as Beyond left the room.

Mello was the first to speak as he ordered Matt, "See if you can track the location of that camera."

Matt's fingers went flying on the keyboard, and in a matter of minutes he had the location.

"Well?" Mello asked impatiently.

Matt was hesitant before replying, "It's pretty far away, but there was no security blocking me from the location. It took me half a day of nonstop work to get through the security on the USB drive, so—"

"He must be baiting us," Near interjected as he twirled his hair. "Remember that Beyond is interested in L, not us. He will do whatever it takes to get us out of his way."

Mello narrowed his eyes at Near as he raised his voice. "Well, what do you suggest we do? We can't just leave her there! We know where Beyond is now, so we should catch him!"

Near looked at him in mild irritation. "We have to think carefully about our options and create a plan of action. If we go in without thinking we will get ourselves killed."

~o~

Bambi felt like she had been there for hours trying to think of a way out. She heard footsteps in the hallway again and tensed, knowing who it would be. The door opened and the light almost blinded her once more. She saw the silhouette of Beyond Birthday with a knife in his hand as he rapidly approached her. The murderer sat on his prisoner's legs before she could move them. Her heart began pounding as adrenaline coursed through her veins. 

~o~

Matt yelled out to the team, "He's back in the room!"

Near and Mello gathered around the screen to watch. Their ears were quickly greeted by muffled cries of pain. Near began trembling at the sight. Unable to handle watching his partner be tortured, he walked away and began fiddling with a bag of dice that Bambi had bought him. Not long after that, Matt looked down. Mello remained staring at the screen, his fists clenched, and his body shaking in rage.


	7. Be Brave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited November 16, 2014.

*** * * December 18 * * ***

It was the middle of the day on the day after the video feed first worked. The boys had decided to take turns monitoring Bambi on the screen as they decided on a plan of action. It was currently Mello's turn.

~o~

Bambi sat there, leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. Her eyes were closed and old tears had dried on her face. Her arms and sides were covered in bloody slashes. They were just shallow enough to keep her from losing too much blood, but they were painful. The young woman didn't know how long she had been sitting there. It felt like she had waited for an agonizingly long time, but she couldn't be sure. She knew that she had to wait until she was capable of moving again to make her escape, and she would have to do that at soon as possible.

Bambi took a deep breath as she pulled down on her chains to keep them from making noise as she moved. She shifted both of her legs so that she was sitting on her calves, tightening her lips at the searing pain coming from all over her body as she moved. The prisoner did her best to ignore her body's protests as she focused on the task at hand.

Using her good foot, Bambi pushed herself upwards. At the same time, she bent her elbows, keeping her wrists where they were before she moved. She raised herself up just high enough to reach the bobby pin that she had left attached to the back of her bra. Moving as swiftly and silently as possible, the detective used the bobby pin to pick the locks on her shackles, freeing her wrists.

Bambi quietly dropped her arms, careful not to disturb the shackles and cause a noise. She slowly crawled toward the door, ignoring the pain searing through her body. When she reached the door, the brunette felt around, searching for the doorknob. Once she found it, she realized that the door was unlocked. Although she was initially suspicious, Bambi calmed herself down. _He probably thought I wouldn't be able to escape. It would be pointless for him to lock the door if he's the only one using it._

The brunette peeked out the door, watching for Beyond. When she was certain that she couldn't see or hear him, Bambi opened the door completely and pulled herself up to stand on her good foot. The hallway seemed to be falling apart, confirming that this building had been long unused. To her left, the hallway continued before it met with an intersecting hallway. Bambi frowned. _I'll get caught right away if I get lost in a maze of hallways, better not go left._

To her right, the hallway continued for around thirty yards, ending at a door with a broken 'Exit' sign hanging above it. Bambi smiled at the sight: that was where she needed to go. She leaned on the wall and hopped on her good leg toward the door. When she opened it, she saw a window to the outside, and a flight going down on her left. Next to the door was a faded '4'. The brunette smiled as she hopped over to the stairs.

~o~

Mello watched as Bambi escaped her shackles and left the room, admiring that she was capable of such a feat in the condition that she was in. Still, he knew that she wouldn't be able to get very far on her own.

He called out to Matt, "Bambi escaped. Are you going to tell me where she is now? We need to help her."

Matt sighed and told his friend, "Dude, she's a seven-hour drive away. We won't make it to her on time."

Near added, "And there's still the matter of the trap to worry about."

"Oh, so we're just going to leave her there to die?!" Mello clenched his fists before looking over to Matt. "If you told me where they were, we could have reached her in time!"

"It's not like I knew that this was going to happen!" The redhead raised his voice at the accusatory tone in Mello's statement. "You were ready to kill her just a few days ago, anyway. Why do you care about her well-being all of a sudden?"

Mello narrowed his eyes. He had realized that he had been treating her more harshly than he probably should have, but he certainly wasn't going to admit to anyone that he was wrong. His voice was low as he commanded, "Shut up."

Matt recoiled at the statement, eyes wide as he stared at his best friend in disbelief. After a few moments, he narrowed his eyes and a frown settled on his face. Meanwhile, Near had been sitting on the floor, twirling his hair as he weighed their options.

~o~

Bambi had been struggling through her descent for a few minutes. She was just between the third and second floors when she heard the pounding of footsteps as they rushed up the stairs toward her. Her heart sunk and she backed up slightly as she realized what was happening. _Shit! What do I do? What do I do?_

The young woman knew that she was far too weak to fight back, and she didn't think that she could survive crashing through the window onto the ground from this height. She backed up as she desperately tried to think of something. Beyond reached her before she could make a decision.

Bambi tried to hobble away, but he tackled her to the ground. He dragged his prisoner back to the room as she kicked and screamed, desperately trying to get away or at least get someone to help. Beyond threw her into the room and dragged her by her arms back to the shackles. Once her wrists were secured, the murderer wrapped his bony hand around her neck.

His eyes were wide open, and his voice sounded more frantic than before as he spoke. "I tried being nice to you, Amelia, I really did. But here you are, rejecting my hospitality. You've hurt my feelings, Amelia, and you will be punished for that."

He pulled his knife out. Bambi frantically tried to push him away, involuntary tears streaming down her face.

~o~

The boys were silenced as they heard the familiar muffled sounds of Bambi and Beyond come from the computer again. Near looked down, and Mello addressed Matt, "Get your car started. You're taking us to them. I'll call and get a SWAT team set up on the way there. You guys can stay in the car as surveillance, but I'm going in after them."

Matt and Near agreed to the plan, and the three of them headed out.

*** * * December 19 * * ***

Beyond had come back multiple times throughout the night. Bambi's spirit was broken at the failed escape attempt, and her sense of time was distorted due to the numerous amounts of torture sessions that she had to endure. The brunette sat there, chained to the wall as she kept going in and out of consciousness. Her body was covered in slashes and blood. Her clothes were barely holding together because of the many long cuts that were made through them.

Her eyes were glazed over from tears that she could no longer cry. Her breathing was ragged and labored. The time between her breaths was slowly increasing. Bambi's eyes started to close as a surreal feeling washed over her, beckoning her into the welcoming arms of death. As she struggled against it, a part of her began to wonder if it would really be so bad.

~o~

Mello stood with the SWAT team leaders around a table with floor plans of the building that they had determined to hold Bambi. Like the rest of them, Mello was dressed in a SWAT uniform with a bullet-proof jacket and walkie-talkie on his belt.

Matt's scrambled voice rang out from the walkie-talkies. "Each leader knows they're instructions, right?"

Mello responded as he put on his protective visor, "Yes, and we're moving out. Over."

The teams moved into position and waited for the signal. As soon as it was given, SWAT members poured into the building. Mello led his team up the stairs to the top floor. They ran down the hallways to check their assigned rooms, followed quickly by Mello. He opened the first door to find a bunch of old desks. The next door he tried contained broken filing cabinets. The third door he opened led to Bambi.

Mello's heart sunk at the sight, and he felt a slight pang of guilt. The brunette was looking down at her feet, barely reacting. The blond ran across the room to the fourth investigator, kneeling down next to her. He took off his helmet, placing it on the ground next to him before he carefully put his hand under her chin.

He lifted her head up and said, "Bambi, look at me. It's me, Mello."

Her pained, hazel eyes slowly trailed upward and met his concerned, blue ones. After a few moments, a hint of recognition sparked in her dull eyes. She opened her mouth, and weakly whispered, "Mello...?"

Her voice trailed off, but that was enough to tell the blond that she was alive and somewhat aware of what was going on. He assured her, "I'm gonna get you out of here."

Mello moved Bambi's head so that it would lean against the wall before removing his hand. He then pulled out some tools from his belt and began picking the locks to the shackles.

Bambi watched, barely conscious, as he freed her arms, carefully placing them in her lap. Mello started to take off his jacket, meaning to put it on the brunette as he carried her out of the building. He only got the left side off when he recognized a high pitched beeping sounding off from the wall to the left. His blue eyes widened, and he threw himself on top of Bambi, shielding her from the fires of the explosion as she lost consciousness.

He cried out as felt a burning sensation on his left side encompassing everything from his hip up to his face, including his arm. He pushed himself up with his good arm to see the room in shambles. Mello knew that the building was old and not very structurally sound to begin with; this explosion would bring down the building for sure. In the distance, he could hear calls from the radio telling the SWAT members to evacuate.

Mello looked over to Bambi. She was unconscious on the floor, but mostly unharmed from the explosion. He grabbed the teen, lifting her up with mostly his good arm. He then began running down the hall and out of the building, ignoring the intense pain.

When Mello made it out of the building, one of the SWAT members approached him. "Sir, L instructed the ambulance to come here. He wanted me to tell you that he wants you and the girl to stay together while in the hospital."

Mello nodded, and began walking to the ambulance. Halfway there, he was met with medics who tried to help him to the vehicle.


	8. A New Leaf

Hundreds of miles away, L had been working on the Kira case. The detective had sent twelve FBI agents to monitor the members of the Japanese Kira Task Force a few days ago. He received no new information from them, and was focusing on the information that the task force had been digging up.

As L was thinking, Watari walked in the room, interrupting the silence with urgent news. "Ryuzaki, I just spoke with Near about the case in LA. Apparently, Beyond kidnapped a few days ago and tortured her. When Mello went in with the SWAT team to rescue her today, a bomb exploded, injuring him. Beyond was not found in the vicinity of the building. Mello and Bambi are currently in the hospital under the aliases of John and Jane Smith."

This was very frustrating for L to hear. He put his thumb to his lip as he thought. _When he was arrested for the LABB murders, it was clear that Beyond wanted to defeat me as a criminal. He must have that same goal now because he was unsuccessful. His actions make it very clear that he wants to get rid of the current investigation team to get me to investigate._

_Beyond knows his way around Wammy's, so it's no surprise that he managed to get information on the Whammy Teams. He must have known that the four of them would be difficult opponents if they worked together. That has to be what made him decide that he had to split them up to beat them._

_Beyond most likely went after Bambi first because she is a woman—no, he absolutely went after Bambi first for that reason. Using what he learned about the others, Beyond had to have known that Mello tends to be impulsive if he gets emotional. That must be why he tortured Bambi. He needed something to bait Mello, who he knew would be the hardest to kill, given his ability to fight._

_That explains why he did it, but what to do with the investigation?"_

L sat in front of his laptop and dropped another sugar cube in his tea. As he looked at the screen showing the Kira Task Force, the detective mumbled, "I'm too busy with the Kira case, so I can't take it on. It has to go to the old investigation team."

L took a sip of his tea as he continued his contemplation. _With what she endured, I'm certain that Bambi will be incapable of thinking clearly about anything relating to Beyond. Additionally, Beyond will likely take another chance to go after her, knowing that she will be both mentally and physically handicapped. It would be too dangerous to leave her on the team, or anywhere near LA._

_I can't allow Mello to investigate, either, because Beyond now knows that he can easily use him. I have to keep Mello as far away from the situation as possible so that he can't interfere._

_That leaves Near and Matt. I'll have to leave the investigation to them._

_But, what to do with Bambi and Mello?_

The detective stood back up and looked out the window. _Obviously they can't stay there, but I have to get them somewhere where Beyond can't find them or antagonize them in any way. It also has to be with someone who will keep a close eye on them to prevent Mello from trying to return to the investigation._

_With those restrictions, the best place for them to be is here with me._

_Besides that, I will also have the benefit of their help on the Kira case._

L informed Watari of his decision, sending the older man off to retrieve the two young adults from the hospital in California.

*** * * December 22 * * ***

Bambi slowly opened her eyes to find herself laying down in a bright room. She carefully moved her stiff arms up to rub her eyes and sharpen her focus. When she looked down, the young woman saw that her arms were covered in bandages. She scrunched her nose, surprised at the sight. The brunette then looked down past her arms. She could see that she was wearing a hospital gown, and a blanket was draped over her legs.

As Bambi looked to the side, she saw Mello sleeping in his own hospital bed. He was also in a hospital gown, but his bandages only seemed to cover his left arm and the left side of his face. The brunette frowned. _Did Beyond do this?_

She could now vaguely remember Mello coming to her rescue, but she passed out midway through it. Her eyes traced his sleeping form as she wondered what happened to him. His face seemed so peaceful when he wasn't busy yelling at her. A light blush rose to Bambi's face at the thought.

Just then, a nurse walked in. Bambi redirected her attention to the nurse as she smiled and said, "Oh, good. You're awake."

The nurse checked Bambi's vitals on the monitor that she had been attached to. She then picked up the her patient's chart and scribbled a few things down.

She looked up at Bambi and said, "I'm going to ask you a few questions to see how you are doing."

"Okay."

"What is your name?"

Bambi hesitated as she realized that she was probably registered under a fake name. "I don't remember."

The nurse recorded her answer before saying, "Your name is Jane Smith." She then continued, asking, "Are you married?"

"Uh, not that I'm aware of."

The question and answer session continued. The nurse eventually began asking questions that Bambi could actually answer, like who the current president is, and what color her eyes are. After she finished asking questions, the nurse flipped the page on Bambi's chart.

"Well, Jane, you have slight amnesia. You keep forgetting your name, information about your family, and your husband, John," she gestured to Mello. Bambi's eyes widened and a blush rose to her cheeks again as she glanced to the blond. The nurse didn't notice, and continued speaking. "You have been unconscious for the past few days." She paused as she turned the page. "You also have over 200 stitches total, a few burns around your elbows and feet, and a broken ankle."

The nurse put the chart down before looking at Bambi with a warm, almost sad, smile on her face. The brunette, still jumpy from her experiences the past week, frowned and let out a panicky, "What?"

"You are a very lucky woman, Mrs. Smith. Your husband laid his life on the line to save you, even going so far as to use his own body to protect you from an explosion. He must love you very much," she finished, and left, closing the door behind her.

Bambi stared down in disbelief as she tightly clutched the end of the blanket. After a few minutes she looked over to Mello. _Why would he protect me like that?_

About half an hour later, the blond stirred and opened his eyes.

As he carefully sat up, Bambi looked over at him and asked, "Married?"

"What?" he asked with a tone of feigned innocence. "Matt and Near wanted us to stay in the same room, and that was the only surefire way I could make that happen. Besides, we fight enough to look like an old married couple anyway."

The brunette let a small chuckle escape her lips. "That we do, Mello. That we do."

Bambi looked down, still feeling weird about the whole situation. Just a week ago Mello hated her, and now he's off using his body to shield her. He's even making her laugh instead of yelling. It just didn't feel right.

She shifted awkwardly before looking back up at Mello. "Why are you acting so weird? You hated me before, but now you're…" she gestured to his side. "Why?"

Mello sighed before responding, "Look, I've realized that I haven't been fair to you, and I want to change that. Let's just start over." He stuck out his good hand, "Hi, I'm Mello."

Bambi smiled at his words and met his hand in the middle. "Thanks for saving me, Mello. I'm Bambi."

Mello smiled back at her, and the nurse walked back in.

"Mr. Smith," she said, addressing Mello. "Your father is here with clothes for you two. I just need to do one last checkup before I can discharge you."

The nurse did her final checkups and let them both sign out. She then opened the door, letting in the familiar friendly face of Mr. Wammy.

He greeted the young investigators. "Good afternoon, John, Jane. I've brought clothes for the two of you." He placed their clothes on their separate beds. "I'll let you both get changed now." He then left, closing the curtain behind him.

Mello smirked at Bambi. "Well, _Mrs. Smith,_ since we both know we aren't actually married, I'd like some privacy. I'm sure you won't mind, either." He pulled a second curtain between the two beds, allowing them both to get changed.

It was difficult with her broken ankle, but Bambi managed to get changed in ten minutes. While changing, she noticed bandages around large sections of her legs and torso. The brunette than stood up using her crutches and went outside to meet with Mr. Wammy and Mello. The elderly inventor then led the young adults to a dark limousine with tinted windows. He sat in the front, leaving Bambi and Mello in the back seat.

Once he began driving, Mr. Wammy addressed the pair. "L has instructed me to take the two of you to him. I have already packed your belongings, with the help of Matt and Near. Our flight will depart as soon as we arrive."

Mello narrowed his eyes and turned his attention to the window at the news. Bambi decided not to ask, unwilling to bring his foul mood to be focused on her again. Despite not asking, she was pretty certain that he was unhappy about being taken off the case in LA.

Bambi looked back to the front of the car and asked, "L's in Japan, right?"

"Correct, and while we are with L, you are to call me Watari. Additionally, I will pay for your medical bills, so there is no need to worry about that."

Bambi smiled and thanked him. Even though she had the money to pay for it herself, it was a kind gesture. The rest of the car ride was silent as Watari drove to a nearby airfield. He parked the car near stairs leading up to a private jet. Another man came out to help take the suitcases.

Bambi approached the stairs and put her crutches on one arm, holding onto the railing with the other as she hopped up the stairs on her good foot, followed closely by Mello. Bambi, Mello, and Watari then took their seats. Shortly after that, the airplane took off. The brunette looked out the window, watching as the plane began to fly over the Pacific Ocean.


	9. Trust

*** * * December 23 * * ***

Bambi had slept through most of the plane ride, her body still exhausted. After the plane landed Watari led Bambi and Mello to another black car. The inventor had been driving the pair of investigators for a little over an hour as they conversed.

Bambi recoiled in disbelief. "What? No way!"

"It's true," Mello bragged.

"Only Watari knows what L looks like."

"No," he corrected with a smirk. "Watari, Roger, and I know what he looks like."

She raised an eyebrow. "Who's Rodger?"

"He runs the Wammy House."

"Oh," she trailed off before turning back to the blond. "Wait, we're getting off topic. No offense, but why would L show his face to you?"

Mello sent a sharp glare in her direction. Bambi raised her hands up defensively as she tried to explain herself. "Look, I'm just surprised that L agreed to show anyone his face before his successor was chosen."

He leaned back in his seat and looked down bitterly. "I was number one before Near came to the Wammy House. The only person who even came close to my level was Matt, and he never wanted to be L."

Bambi's gaze softened. "So, you were going to be his successor until Near came along?"

"Yeah, and that's why L agreed to meet with me to tell me about the detective wars."

She waited for him to continue, but he stopped speaking. Bambi looked down at her casted ankle as a small frown settled on her face. _So, that's why he hates Near. Everything was falling into place for him, but Near going to the Wammy House completely ruined it for him._

The next thirty minutes were silent as Watari drove through a city. He slowed down and parked next to a tall hotel. Bambi got up and onto her crutches as the other two exited the car. Mello grabbed his suitcase with his good arm, and Watari picked up Bambi's suitcase. The younger two followed Watari into the lobby, where they received strange looks from the occupants because of their heavy bandages. The trio then stepped into an empty elevator. Watari pushed a button, and the elevator began rising to the top of the building.

The ride up was silent. As Bambi looked to the side, she saw Mello looking down with a slight scowl visible on his face. She frowned, knowing that their earlier conversation was likely still bothering him. The brunette looked back up and stood there silently in anticipation. She knew that she was mere moments away from meeting L face to face for the first time. Even if she disliked the detective, it would still be like meeting a celebrity. Bambi took a calming breath to ease her nerves.

When the elevator reached one of the highest floors, Watari led the injured investigators down the hall. He stopped and unlocked a door. He let Mello and Bambi in before closing the door behind himself. As Bambi looked around the lavish room, she found no one else there. Frustration began to bubble up inside her as she recalled the week prior when she first met Matt and Mello. She scoffed. _This must be another one of his damn tests._

Just as she contemplated calling announcing her thoughts, a man emerged from the kitchen. Bambi's eyes went wide as they landed on his lanky figure. He bore a close resemblance to Beyond with his dark eyes and his messy, black hair. Despite the resemblance, she knew that he wasn't Beyond. This man was several inches taller, his hair was more voluminous, and his eyes wider.

As he spoke, Bambi noticed that his voice was different from Beyond's wild and frenzied voice: it was calm and collected as he looked directly at her and said, "I am L."

She glanced over to Mello to confirm that this person was really L. The blond raised his eyebrows and smirked at her, confirming the truth behind his story and this man's words.

When the pair looked back over to L, he continued. "I'm sure that Watari informed you that you are to call me Ryuzaki." Bambi and Mello nodded. "Additionally, you two are not allowed to leave HQ. Watari and I will accompany you when we switch hotels."

"What?!" Bambi cried out. "Why?"

L looked back at her as he replied, his voice almost condescending. "If you two had acted reasonably when you met and worked together, none of this would have been necessary and you would both be in Los Angeles, uninjured."

As Mello looked down, Bambi narrowed her eyes at the detective and argued, "Well, maybe that wouldn't have happened if you told us all the same thing instead of testing us!"

"If you passed the test, it wouldn't have happened either." L retorted.

Bambi opened her mouth to argue again, but found no valid argument. She closed her mouth and looked to the side with a huff.

"Now, that you're done arguing, allow me to inform you of the progress of the case so far."

Bambi looked up to see the detective walking over to a table with a half-eaten strawberry shortcake in the middle. She followed Mello and L to the table and took a seat.

"I have been working with a Japanese Task Force the past few weeks. I have determined that Kira is in Japan, and can kill with only a face and name. He is also capable of controlling the time of death of his victims. I have also concluded that there is a leak of information coming from the Task Force, and Kira has access to said information. In response to this, eight days ago I sent out twelve FBI agents to investigate the Task Force members and their families. I have compiled files of the rest of the information for you to read up on." L signaled Watari, who brought a large stack of folders to the table. L smiled before adding, "Now go ahead and read. It's not like you have anywhere important to go."

As he stood to leave, Bambi narrowed her eyes at him. _Jackass._

*** * * December 27 * * ***

Four days had passed since Bambi and Mello arrived in Japan, and they had moved hotels in that time. The youngest investigators had gone through all of the files, but L didn't allow them to do anything else because the Task Force had already been assigned all of the work. The two were currently playing poker on the kitchen table. Bambi's poker face was perfect, but so was Mello's. It was almost time to show their cards, and she had a royal straight. When a voice sounded off from L's computer on the other side of the room, the two paused to listen.

"L… I just got word of the deaths of our agents in Japan. I tried contacting all twelve of our agents in Japan, but I couldn't reach any of them."

Bambi looked up to see L's eyes wide in surprise. "I guess he didn't monitor them as much as he should have."

The voice continued, "I think Kira killed them all."

L waited a moment before speaking into the microphone. "Chief, calm down and listen to me carefully: Did any of the agents know the others' faces?"

There was a pause before the man replied, "Not until yesterday."

The two continued until L came to the realization, "If Kira can manipulate their actions before death, it's possible that he saw one of their copies, made that one send it to the others, and killed them."

L stood there with his hand to his mouth, thinking, when the Chief of the FBI spoke up. "L, I'm sorry, but I'm calling off our Japanese investigation."

He cited his reasons before informing L that he was going to tell the Japanese Task Force that he was working under L's orders. He then ended the call. Bambi and Mello exchanged glances, silently agreeing to wait for their superior to give them orders.

*** * * December 31 * * ***

Another four days had passed, and another hotel switch occurred. Bambi and Mello were playing another round of poker while they half-listened to L as he spoke through his microphone again, "Earlier I said 'I only trust you people.' Watari."

She rolled her eyes at his statement and mumbled, "Who's he lying to now?"

Mello raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure that he's lying?"

She deadpanned. "It's L. He always lies."

After a few moments, L approached the pair. The blond was the first to look up and say, "What's up, Ryuzaki?"

"I am having the members of the Task Force meet me here. However, just in case any of them is Kira, I want the two of you to hide in the bedroom until Watari retrieves you. Until then, I want you to be as silent as possible."

Bambi's eyes widened. "What?! Ryuzaki, if any of them is Kira-"

"Room. Now."

She pouted. "Fine."

The young woman got up onto her crutches, pocketed her cards and chips, and started making her way to the bedroom. Mello followed her shortly after doing the same. The bedroom contained a king-sized bed which the pair claimed as the playing table due to the lack of any actual tables in the room. They continued their poker game for another hour before stopping, bored of the game.

They heard the door to the suite open, followed shortly by L's voice as he spoke to the people who had just entered, "I am L."

Bambi and Mello were both fixated on the door, listening as the group got further away and more muffled. When the new group was out of range, the brunette frowned. She carefully shifted her body, putting a pillow under her broken ankle before leaning back on the bed. Mello followed suit, leaning next to her.

Bambi whispered to Mello, "The other day, Watari said that a SWAT member from your team leaked that Beyond escaped prison. Do you think that Kira will get him before Matt and Near do?"

"Beats me. There are tons of criminals out there, who knows if he's on Kira's hit list or not."

She acknowledged his response and looked up at the ceiling above her. Although she was tired, Bambi desperately fought off the need for sleep, knowing that she would just have another nightmare about her time in her prison. Mello eventually drifted off, and unfortunately for her, Bambi did too.

*** * * January 1 * * ***

Bambi was woken up from her horrors by Mello roughly shaking her shoulder. She put a hand over her face as she pushed herself into a sitting position next to him.

Neither of them would look at each other as Mello quietly said, "You were starting to make noise."

"Sorry."

After a few minutes of silence, the door opened. The pair looked up to see Watari entering the room as he said, "L has determined that none of the Task Force members are Kira. They all have his trust, and we are going to meet them now, so it's time for you two to get up."

Bambi brushed her bedhead out of her face and got up and onto her crutches. She and Mello followed Watari out to another room in the suite where five men plus L were gathered around a table.

Watari greeted them, "Good work everyone. You must be thinking 'This old geezer is Watari?' Ryuzaki has told you everything, correct? Ryuzaki must really trust you all if he let you see my face."

"Ye..Yes," the youngest-looking officer replied before looking over to Bambi and Mello with his eyebrows raised. "What about them, Ryuzaki? They're just kids, they can't be on the case too."

L looked at him and responded, "These 'kids' are two of the smartest people in the world—besides myself." Bambi was taken aback by L's compliment as he gestured to them individually. "This is Mello, a field specialist, and Bambi, a technology specialist."

The younger man looked at Bambi and Mello, still obviously unsure. The older looking man with glasses said to him, "Matsuda, you know that my son has helped us with many cases, and these young people look just about his age. If Ryuzaki trusts them and says that they are smart, I believe him."

Matsuda looked down sheepishly before saying, "I guess you're right, Chief. Sorry for doubting you."

After each member of the Task Force introduced themselves, L bluntly continued. "They are here under my strict supervision and are not allowed to leave the hotel without my permission. If I do not specifically say to you that they are allowed to leave, they are not allowed to leave. Do not let them convince you otherwise."

Despite Bambi's and Mello's protests, L continued with his business. He handed out the fake badges that Watari had brought, followed by the belts, explaining each of them to the new Task Force.


	10. The Yagami Investigation

*** * * January 5 * * ***

Several days had passed since Bambi and Mello met the Task Force. Headquarters had moved yet again, and L had finally begun to let the pair help more with the investigation. Bambi was currently sitting on the couch between L and Aizawa, her crutches propped up against the couch behind them. The three of them were watching the footage of Raye Penber's death. L sat in his usual position as the footage rolled. Aizawa leaned forward, focusing on Penber's grainy image. Bambi leaned back and put her hands behind her head, making herself comfortable as she watched the screen.

She scanned the blurry screens for what details she could find as L narrated Penber's movements and pointed out how strange his behavior was. During that time the hacker noticed that something Penber had been carrying at the beginning of the footage had gone missing.

The brunette tilted her head and mused, "He left something behind. Maybe an env-"

"The envelope's gone?!"

Bambi cringed at the volume coming from L next to her before sending an annoyed glare in his direction.

Aizawa jumped at their sudden realization. "The envelope?" he asked, before spotting it himself. "Oh! You're right!" He leaned in and pointed at the screen. "He's holding it here too. That's amazing, you two! You notice the smallest details."

"At least someone heard me," she grumbled as she folded her arms over her chest.

If anyone heard her this time, she was ignored. Chief Yagami added that there was no envelope found in his articles. After a brief conversation, L instructed Matsuda and Chief Yagami to investigate Penber's death. Immediately after that, Watari informed L of an important call on the line.

He answered the call as everyone else sat and watched. After a pause he exclaimed, "Penber's fiancée?!" He paused again before looking at Watari. "Naomi Misora… sounds familiar."

Bambi's eyebrows furrowed. _Naomi Misora... I know that name too, but where do I know it from?_

She glanced over to Mello, who was leaning against a wall, visibly tensed. His eyes were narrowed as he looked down as his feet, fists clenched. When the blond looked up, Bambi raised an eyebrow at him. He relaxed a little, though the brunette could still see anger in his blue eyes. She mouthed 'what?' to the young man.

He shook his head before answering in English, leaving the Task Force members unable to understand him. "Don't you remember _our_ case from a few weeks ago?"

Then it dawned on her: Naomi Misora was the FBI agent who arrested Beyond Birthday.

As Bambi realized this, unwanted visions of the night Beyond kidnapped her flooded her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut when the visions took over what was really before her, but she still saw them. Her heart began pounding, her breaths shorter and quicker, and her grip on her knees tightened. Tears began to stream down her face. It all felt too real.

As the memories played over and over again, Bambi heard an echo calling out to her, getting louder and louder as the visions faded away, and she was finally looking at Mello's face right in front of her.

He loosened his tight grip on her shoulders as he said, "It's all right. You're at Headquarters now with me, Ryuzaki, and everyone else."

He let go, but waited for a response. Old tears rolled down her cheeks, and her breaths were ragged. She glanced around, finding everyone's attention on her. Blood rushed to her wet cheeks as she looked down at her lap.

She wiped her tears and spoke, her voice shaky. "I'm... fine, Mello."

Bambi sat in silence, trying to recollect herself as the rest of the Task Force discussed Naomi Misora and Raye Penber. She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands, unwilling to look up at everyone yet. Mello grabbed a chocolate bar from his stash in the bedroom and returned, taking Aizawa's place next to her. The brunette sat back up, feeling more like herself again. She glanced to the young man beside her and discreetly smiled, glad to finally be on his good side as a friend. She heard L say something about the families investigated by Penber promptly followed by a loud outburst from the Japanese members of the Task Force.

After a brief argument, L spoke up, his tone demanding. "Sub-Chief Kitamura's family and Chief Yagami's family. Then, please install cameras and electronic bugs in these households."

Bambi and Mello watched in amusement as Matsuda and Aizawa protested the idea, both young detectives sitting cross-armed as they leaned back.

The youngest spoke up as an amused smirk found its way to her face. "They need to relax. It's not like L follows the rules anyway."

Mello nodded. "Plus he'd do it whether they agreed or not. So, it's not like it matters."

"Very true."

Surprisingly, Chief Yagami agreed that it was a necessary measure, even if it was illegal. Matsuda brought up that Chief Yagami had a wife and a daughter, causing another outburst from the Chief.

L piped up. "This requires some sacrifices." Once the Task Force members had been silenced, he continued. "Well then, the Chief, Bambi, and I will monitor the Yagami home. The other three will monitor the Kitamura family. We will watch the families for seven days. Depending on how things go, we may stop early. When the surveillance is finished, inform the families. Leave no equipment either."

*** * * January 8 * * ***

Bambi sat in one of the monitor rooms, leaning back with her arms behind her head, a dull look in her eyes, and a slight pout on her face. _This is so boring._ L and Chief Yagami sat on either side of her, all three of them watching the cameras as the Chief's son got home from school.

As they watched him enter the door, L spoke up. "Light Yagami..."

"What about him?" The youngest inquired.

"According to the people who installed the instruments, there was a small trap made to tell whether or not someone entered his room while he was out. Other than that, his room does not have anything strange."

"How elaborate was it?"

"It was a simple trap. Just a piece of paper in the doorway."

"Eh, I'd say that's pretty normal."

The Chief spoke up this time, hopeful. "What makes you say that?"

"He's my age, and I used to do that too."

L spoke again, his tone slightly amused. "That just raises my suspicions."

Bambi rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "I wasn't the only person to do it. Everyone at the orphanage did. I'm just saying that teens don't like people snooping through their stuff."

Throughout the short conversation, Light had walked into his room, laid down on his bed again, got up, and left the house.

Later on in the day, when Light returned to his room again, he plopped down on his bed and pulled out some magazines from underneath it. Bambi raised an eyebrow before he opened to the first page. A blush rose to her cheeks as she saw the image of a scantily clad, busty blonde laying down in a provocative position. The brunette crossed her arms again as she tried to disappear into the folds of the couch. _Oh my God, this is so awkward. I am_ not _going to watch if he starts to..._

Chief Yagami asked, baffled, "My son reads … porno magazines?"

L chimed in, pointing out that that's normal behavior for a boy his age, however, he suspects that Light is putting on a show for the cameras. When Chief Yagami asked if L thought Light could be Kira, the number one detective responded, "Of course. That's why I ordered your home to be put under surveillance as well."

Over the course of the rest of the surveillance, the Yagami family acted normal. On the second day of surveillance, Kira killed three small-time thieves, but that was the only abnormality. On day three, L had his bluff of 1500 new investigators broadcasted. Light Yagami caught onto this and announced it to his family, raising some suspicion from L. After five days of surveillance, the esteemed detective decided that they had seen enough.

*** * * January 15 * * ***

It had been several days since L ended surveillance of the two families, and Headquarters had moved yet again. Bambi was in the kitchen, getting herself something to drink, when L walked in.

"What's up, Ryuzaki?" She turned to face him on her crutches.

"Bambi, the To-Oh University entrance exams are in two days."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "To-Oh, isn't that the University that Light Yagami is looking at?"

"Yes."

Behind L, she could see Mello standing in the doorway, silently listening. The brunette did her best not to give away his presence as she continued to look L in the eye.

L continued. "You and I are going to take the entrance exams to keep an eye on Light Yagami when he enrolls in the University."

Mello angrily stomped up to the pair before arguing, "Why not me too?"

L turned to face him. "Your burns haven't recovered enough for you to go out in public without bandages. Bambi's injuries no longer cause her pain, and she can hide her stitches with long sleeves and pants. She will attract less attention with crutches than you will with half of your face bandaged."

Mello clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes in jealousy as he briefly glanced at Bambi. The brunette frowned, hoping that he wouldn't hate her again like he did when Matt chose her over him.

L then added with a smile. "Also, Bambi can't run away from me with a broken ankle."

Bambi rolled her eyes and scoffed at the comment. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

Mello was frustrated, but he wouldn't dare argue further with the man he idolized so much. He stormed back out of the kitchen after grabbing another chocolate bar.

L turned back to Bambi to explain more. "I will be enrolling as the Japanese student, Hideki Ryuga."

She immediately recognized his intentions. He was using the name of a famous pop star, so the face of the pop star would likely be associated with the name more than L's. If the pop star died suddenly, L would know that Light is Kira. The brunette frowned. _He's risking an innocent life for the sake of winning._

He continued. "Although you are fluent in Japanese, you still have a slight accent, one that's obviously North American. So, you will be enrolling as the Canadian international student, Emily Stone. Since that's not your real name you'll be safe. I don't want him to be able to make the connection between us, so your alias isn't famous. I want you to watch him in the background."

Bambi sighed. "Fine."

"You have two days to prepare for the exams." L finished with a smile before returning to the rest of the Task Force.


	11. A Test of Skills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been one month and six days since Bambi left Washington DC.

*** * * January 17 * * ***

It was the day of the entrance exam, and L had decided that he and Bambi would take separate cars to the exam building. Watari had left ten minutes earlier with L, and Bambi was currently in the passenger seat of Matsuda's car as he drove her to To-Oh University. She rested her head in her hand as she watched the scenery go by and mentally reviewed the plan. Light knew Matsuda from working with the police to help solve a few cases, so the detective would not return to pick up Bambi until after Light had left. Bambi had already hacked into the university security cameras, so all they would need to do is watch for the young man to leave.

It had been silent for most of the ride before Matsuda decided to break the ice. "So, Bambi, what kind of subjects did you like in school?"

The brunette shrugged. "Frankly, I never cared for school. It was too boring." After a moment of thought she added, "I did like the breaks, though. I was able to hang out with my friends and do things that actually interested me then."

"Really? I guess I-"

"Matsuda!" She pointed as they passed the entrance to the building.

"What? O-oh!" He sheepishly pulled over to the side of the road several yards past the building. "Sorry, Bambi."

She quickly checked her watch, relieved to find out that they weren't late. "It's okay, Matsuda. At least you stopped."

Before he had the time to turn the car off and run around to her door, Bambi had already opened the door and maneuvered herself and her crutches out the door and onto the sidewalk. She shivered as she realized that her jacket was a bit too light for the weather, and picked up her pace.

As she trekked onward, Bambi heard Matsuda open his door and yell out, "Good luck!"

She cringed at the unwanted attention that he drew to her, hoping that Light didn't see it. After making her way up a set of stairs to the entrance, Bambi followed several signs to the designated testing room. As she entered the half-filled room, she followed the instructor's directions to seat number 87. Several people watched curiously as the brunette crossed the room on her crutches. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Light Yagami watching her with a bored look on his face and L watching him from a few seats away.

After about fifteen minutes, the rest of the room had filled up and the tests had been passed out. The instructor looked at his watch for a few seconds before saying, "Begin."

Bambi opened the test book and began to mentally translate the exam into English as she went along. She quickly began chipping away at the test—the sooner she was done, the better. Not even a minute had passed before the young woman heard the instructor walk toward the middle of the room.

"Student 162, please sit properly."

She glanced up to see L still sitting in his normal fashion. The hacker rolled her eyes at the sight as she returned her attention to her own exam. Hours upon hours had passed as she took the exam, but she got through it. After the exam, she packed up her pen and pencil, put on her jacket, got up onto her crutches and walked out the entrance. Flurries fell from the sky as Bambi paused at the top of the stairs before moving to the side and preparing herself to descend.

She had just transferred both crutches to one hand when she heard a familiar voice call out, "Excuse me, miss."

Bambi frowned briefly before turning her head. As she looked to the owner of the voice, she saw none other than Light Yagami hurrying next to her. In the background, she could see L passing by, a slightly concerned look in his eye.

"Do you need something?" She asked Light as he stopped next to her.

"Please, let me help you down the stairs—the snow is making them slippery, and I wouldn't want to see you get hurt." He gestured to the crutches in Bambi's hands.

She hesitated for a moment as she looked down at the steps. "They _do_ look slippery... Okay."

He held onto her free hand as she grabbed the railing with the other and the two carefully descended down the steps. Bambi quickly took her hand back and thanked him for his help before maneuvering her crutches under her arms again. She then moved off to the side and pretended to look out into the road for her ride.

He walked up next to her and smiled. "I'm Light Yagami, by the way."

She mentally cursed as he spoke. _He's not going to leave, is he?_ Having done undercover missions before, she knew that it was best to try not to interact with the suspect too deeply, but ignoring him could set him off.

Bambi smiled and said, "My name is Emily Stone. Normally I would shake your hand, but mine are a bit occupied at the moment." She nodded downward at her crutches.

He briefly glanced to the side before smiling at her. "Emily, huh? That's quite an English name you have."

"Close, but not quite."

"Where are you from, then?"

"Canada."

"Really?" He asked, curiosity clear in his voice. "What is a Canadian woman like you looking at a university in Japan for?"

She raised an eyebrow. "This is a good school, why wouldn't I be interested?"

"Touché."

During that bit of conversation, Bambi noticed L leaving out of the corner of her eye. She looked back out to the road, away from the young man standing next to her.

After a few moments of silence, Light spoke up again. "So, Emily, where are you staying?"

"I'm staying with a family friend a few towns over. I can't remember how to get there, though, so I'm just waiting here."

The young man smiled warmly at her. "Why don't I wait with you, then?"

She cooly responded, "Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine."

Light seemed slightly taken aback by her rejection before trying again. "Please, I insist. I couldn't just leave an injured and defenseless woman to wait by herself." His expression became stern. "The streets are dangerous this late in the evening."

Bambi frowned as she looked down at her feet in contemplation. She knew that he would just keep insisting until he got his way, and if she kept rejecting his offer, Light might get suspicious. There was no way out of it.

"Alright," she said with a sigh. "You can wait with me."

Light smiled at her as they waited for the ride that would never come. Over the next half hour, the pair conversed about little meaningless things like school and how the people in Japan are different in from the people in Canada. Then Light checked his watch and brought up how late it was getting.

"Why don't you call the person you're staying with?" He suggested.

Bambi smiled awkwardly. "I kinda left my phone at home—like, in Canada—and I'm horrible at remembering numbers." It was sort of true anyway: her phone _was_ still in Los Angeles with Near and Matt.

After thinking for a minute, Light offered, "Why don't you walk home with me? My dad is the Chief of the Japanese Police. When he gets home, we can give him your friend's name so he can find the address and drive you there."

Bambi was glad that Light wanted to get his father's help—that meant that L would be able to tell him what to do, and she would be brought back to Headquarters without suspicion unless Soichiro said anything funny. He probably wouldn't, though—Soichiro would do anything to prove his son innocent. A toothy grin found its way to her face.

"Oh! I _thought_ your name sounded familiar. Knowing that, I'm comfortable coming with you."

Light's face lit up with relief. "Great! Let's go."

Bambi turned and followed him down the sidewalk. As the amount of snow falling began to increase, snowflakes began to stick to the young woman's hair, though they melted when they came into contact with Light. While they walked, the young man caught several glimpses of her bandaged arms as she moved forward with her crutches.

After a few minutes of casual conversation, he asked, "So, Emily, what is your opinion on Kira?"

She raised her eyebrows in shock as she glanced at him. She looked down at her feet as a light breeze swirled around them, weaving more snowflakes into Bambi's hair.

A few moments passed before she confessed, "I haven't really thought about it much."

"Really?" Light raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I don't know," she truthfully answered. "I guess I just always had other things on my mind." She frowned.

He seemed slightly disappointed by her reaction, but said nothing. His eyes trailed up her figure, lingering only at her casted ankle, her bandaged arms, and the visible scar on her cheek.

After a few moments, Bambi apologized for her lack of a true opinion before asking, "What about you, Light? What do you think of Kira?"

He waited for a moment before responding, "I haven't decided yet. I ask people to help form my own opinion."

"Maybe I should start doing that too, then." She laughed. _It's a convenient answer if he is Kira. I hope for his father's sake that he isn't, though._ The two were silent for a few minutes as Bambi focused more on walking. Over time, her arms began to grow tired and she started moving slower and slower. Light took note of this and slowed down to match her pace. 

"We're almost there—just a few more blocks." He assured her.

It took another fifteen minutes, but they both made it to Light's house. Bambi followed him through the gates and up to the door.

He let her in and called out, "I'm home!"

An older woman walked toward the door. "Where have you been, Light? You were supposed to be home—Oh." She cut herself off as she saw a young woman standing next to her son.

Light gestured to Bambi and said, "Mom, this is Emily."

A younger girl ran over. "Is she your girlfriend?!"

The detective raised an unamused eyebrow at the suggestion. _"I guess it makes sense that she would jump to that conclusion,"_ she thought. _"He didn't bring any girls home during the surveillance, even when Soichiro said that he was out on a date."_

"No, Sayu." Light cleared up, addressing his sister. "Emily's friend forgot to pick her up after the exam, and I brought her here so that dad could help get her home."

Sayu pouted at her brother's response. "Aw, okay. Nice to meet you anyway."

The middle-schooler ran back to the other room as Mrs. Yagami spoke up. "Well, Emily, my husband might not be back for a while, but you are welcome stay for dinner."

Bambi bowed her head to Light's mother. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"It's no problem, dear!" Sachiko then walked into another room.

As Light took off his shoes he explained, "My father is very busy with his work, and has his cellphone off when he's out, so there is no way of contacting him during the day."

"I see." Bambi frowned as she looked down at him. She realized that she probably sees Soichiro more than his family does now because of the Kira case.

The brunette carefully moved her crutches and sat down to take off her one shoe. Light then helped her stand up again and led her to the dining room table, where Sayu was already sitting.

As the four of them began eating, Sayu asked, "Hey, Emily, how did you break your ankle?"

Bambi paused as she remembered her arguments with Mello, slipping in the bathroom, and Matt helping her out. She smiled and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as she said, "I slipped on a puddle. It's really embarrassing, actually."

"Oh." Before the hacker could take another bite, Sayu interrupted her again. "How did you get that scar on your cheek?"

Bambi froze and her grip on her chopsticks tightened. Her heart rate began speeding up again as visions of being chained to the wall flooded her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut as the vision of Beyond advanced toward her. She recalled the exact moment when he grabbed her face and made that cut. Bambi took a shaky deep breath as she tried to ignore the memories and remember that they were over now.

Having successfully done this, she looked down at her food and said, "It was nothing."

Sayu looked disappointed at her lack of a detailed response, but Light and Mrs. Yagami picked up that there was something off about the way that their guest answered. Luckily for her, Soichiro opened the door and walked in before Light could ask. He walked into the dining room, where the rest of the Yagami's greeted him.

Light spoke up. "Dad, this is Emily. She's an international student and is staying with a friend, but he forgot to pick her up after the exam. Could you please help her find his address?"

"It may not be that difficult." Soichiro responded before turning to his fellow Task Force member. "Emily, is your friend's name Takeshi Moto?"

She knew that L had to have planned this out so she smiled and said, "Yes, that's him."

"There was a young man by that name who came to the station earlier looking for an Emily Stone who looks just like you."

As Soichiro finished, Sachiko smiled at Bambi. "Isn't that lucky? Your friend was looking for you after all."

Soichiro spoke again. "I'll call the station and have them contact him so he can pick you up. I think he lived not far from here, so you shouldn't be waiting for too much longer."

Bambi bowed lightly to him. "Thank you, sir."

He walked into another room to make the phone call to the station—which really meant that he had Watari call him so he could signal whoever was picking Bambi up to leave. After about twenty minutes, the doorbell rang. Soichiro had Bambi follow him to the door, and Light tagged along too. The door opened to reveal Mello standing there in his fur-lined sweatshirt with his face half bandaged. Bambi's eyes momentarily widened, surprised that L decided to let the blond out of Headquarters looking the way he does. After a moment, she realized that he was the only person who really could get her. She smiled sheepishly at him. _I bet he's happy to finally be in on some of the action, even if it_ is _a lame rescue mission._

Mello smirked at her teasingly before turning to Soichiro. "Chief Yagami, thank you for helping me find Emily."

"You're welcome, but please be on time to pick her up next time."

"Will do, sir." Mello answered before turning back to Bambi. "C'mon, Em. Get your shoe on so we can go—I left the oven on."

The brunette suppressed a giggle fit at the mental image of Mello baking cookies before sitting down and quickly throwing on her shoe. She was helped up by Light behind her and Mello in front of her, both young men sending light glares at each other. Bambi felt uncomfortable, but pushed the feeling aside. After bidding her thanks and goodbyes, the young woman followed Mello down the path, out the gate, and to the car he drove.

~o~

A while after Emily left, Light was back on his computer in his room looking up criminals to kill. In his search, he ran into an article from the previous month about an unnamed woman who was found tortured and chained to a wall in an abandoned building in northwestern California. The article stated that the kidnapper had not been located yet, but he was suspected to be the escaped criminal, Beyond Birthday, who was also the main suspect for a set of recent murders in Los Angeles.

When Light looked to the attached image, he was shocked. The image was of a bloodied young woman with brown hair, a cut on her cheek, and a swollen ankle. He recognized the mutilated body as the Emily he was just conversing with. In the photo, she was being carried by a young man with blond hair and harsh burns down his left side, whom Light identified as Emily's friend Takeshi.

_Of course,_ he thought. _It all makes sense now. Ryuk laughed when she told me her name because she is going by an alias that her kidnapper wouldn't be able to track. Even after going through what she did, she still needs to continue on with her life. That must be why she's applying to To Oh. Thinking about it, 'Emily' probably agreed to go with me so easily when I mentioned my father's position because it made her feel safe. The reason she wasn't sure about her opinion on Kira anymore mudt be because she used to think that all killing was bad, but her experiences at the hands of this murderer changed that. Now I know that she was uncomfortable when Sayu asked about her scar because of who did it and all of the experiences around that._

He narrowed his eyes at the image of the suspect on the screen before taking out the Death Note. Beyond Birthday will die in four days.


	12. A New Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated November 3, 2014. A new scene was added to the beginning.

*** * * January 18 * * ***

Clouds hung over the outskirts of Tokyo, obscuring the moon and even the brightest of stars. A lone man entered an abandoned warehouse below, he was a fugitive from the law and the great Detective L. He sat in front of a pile of computer screens and pulled out a small, metallic device before plugging it into one of the USB ports. As he waited for the program to load, the black-haired man shoveled a spoonful of strawberry jam into his mouth.

Another few moments passed before a map of Japan loaded on one of the computer screens. The fugitive placed the jar down and watched carefully as a blinking, red dot appeared over the city of Tokyo. With a few clicks of the mouse, he zoomed in to see a map of the city. The red dot blinked over a set of streets in the west. He zoomed in again and the red dot appeared next to a street, inside one of the most luxurious hotels in Tokyo.

The murderer smiled and took out a notebook. The pages were filled to the brim with notes from every hour of every day beginning almost exactly a month ago. Most of the recent observations were the changing locations of the red dot. They were almost always hotels or on the road to new hotels, with the exception of the previous day's activities. They were always at the high floors of expensive hotels with underground parking garages. They only stayed for a week at most. His notes go on and on.

A slasher smile formed on his lips as he wrote down the current coordinates. Given everything, he knew that they would move again tomorrow night, this time to a hotel near the police station.

"You can't win this time, L." He gloated out loud. "I will end you and replace you as the world's greatest detective." The murderer looked to the blinking dot in the screen. "And it's all thanks to you."

*** * * January 19 * * ***

The sky was cloudy and bleak on this cold winter's eve. The Kira Task Force Headquarters were being moved to yet another hotel. L and Watari were among the first to leave, as usual, and had arrived at the new hotel several hours ago. Bambi and Mello were the last to leave, and this time it was Matsuda's responsibility to drive them. The streets were eerily bare, though Bambi hadn't been out around this time in a while. Given Matsuda's lack of comment on the subject, she decided that it must have been normal.

After driving for a while, Matsuda pulled the car behind a large hotel and into it's underground parking garage. The young prodigies gazed out the windows and watched as the older detective navigated his way through the dimly lit passages. When he finally located a group of empty spaces, he parked the car and unlocked the rear doors. The two passengers were quick to get out of the cramped space and into the open.

The lights above them flickered as Matsuda walked to the back of the car to retrieve the suitcases. Bambi repositioned her crutches to make them more comfortable as she awkwardly watched. The lights flickered again before the sound of pounding footsteps echoed throughout the parking garage. Her eyes widened as the pounding got increasingly louder. She directed her frightened gaze behind her only to see a tall man with long black hair rapidly approaching, gun in hand. Her heart stopped when she recognized the Cheshire grin plastered on his face. The grin was quickly replaced by pure rage as he got close to the group. A bloodcurdling scream escaped Bambi's lips as she tripped in a panicked attempt to get away.

She looked up at Beyond, frozen in fear as he cocked his gun at the group and wailed, "No! You're not him! Where is he? Where is L?!"

The loud clash of gunfire rang out in the parking garage as Beyond jerked backward at the impact of the bullets and dropped his gun before collapsing. Bambi was shaking in terror, unable to turn away from his bleeding body as he moaned the same questions again. Her eyes were wide open, but they no longer saw the scene before them. Instead, scenes from her time as Beyond's prisoner played out in her mind's eye once more.

Mello's smirk was almost audible as he commented, "Damn, I've been waiting to do that."

Matsuda came into view, smoking gun pointed at Beyond as he cautiously approached the body and kicked the gun away. He then addressed Mello. "I'll call this in as an attack on an officer. Put your gun in the car so you don't burn yourself with it and take Bambi to a safe place."

Mello nodded and tossed the gun into the backseat before kneeling down in front of the terrified young woman. "Bambi, c'mon, we have to go."

She didn't respond, her eyes still wide as she visibly trembled. Mello sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to elicit a response from the teen in this state. He then hooked her crutches up his good arm and onto his shoulder before returning to Bambi's shaking form. He slipped one arm under her knees and the other behind her back before lifting her up and carrying her into the hotel.

*** * * January 21 * * ***

It had been two days since Beyond was shot, and over two days since Bambi last slept. After Matsuda's backup made it to the scene, Beyond was hospitalized under guarded surveillance and underwent surgery to remove the bullets. He was currently thrashing about in his hospital bed, having a fit as he cursed at the camera L had installed. At Headquarters, far away from Beyond, L had set up a corner of live video feed and a two way microphone to be used to interrogate the infamous serial killer. Watari was in charge of Beyond's investigation for the time being, while the rest of the Task Force continued investigating Kira.

Mello sat next to Bambi on the couch, his arm protectively slung over her shoulder as the two of them looked through information about heart attacks that occurred in prisons. Although he was majorly unaffected by the events two days prior, they were visibly taking a toll on her. The shaking had stopped, but her skin had turned a sickly pale, contrasting with the new dark circles under her eyes. The brunette tried her best to focus on the case, but every time she heard Beyond's screeching from his surveillance station, she involuntarily tensed and had to focus on preventing her flashbacks from returning.

Matsuda had told Bambi that they found a tracking device in Beyond's pocket, and when L decided to test it, the device pointed to exactly where she was. L concluded that Beyond must have implanted a tracking chip in her before Matt was able to access the live video feed of her prison. The mere thought that he always knew where she was had spiraled Bambi's already-deteriorating mental condition even further downward.

"Amelia!" Beyond's voice cried out. "I know she's there. The next time I see you, Amelia, I'm going to kill you for this!"

Bambi tried her best to ignore his threats, but she couldn't help herself from tightening her grip on her knees as she looked down. Mello studied her face as she reacted. His eyes widened momentarily when he realized that Beyond was threatening with her real name, just like when he teased Mello with his own.

The blond clenched his fists before turning around and roaring at the microphone, "Over my dead body, you bastard!"

Mello's outburst attracted the attention of everyone else in the room before Beyond's voice snarled back, "I will gladly oblige to—gack!" The beeping from the heart monitor rapidly increased before stopping on a single tone.

Bambi's eyes widened as she realized what just happened.

"A heart attack," Soichiro pointed out.

Beyond Birthday is dead.

*** * * January 22 * * ***

Several hours had passed since Beyond Birthday died. It was the wee hours of the morning, so the only members of the Task Force who were awake were Bambi, L, and Mello. Soichiro had gone home for the night, and Matsuda had fallen asleep on top of the files that he was supposed to look over. L wanted the original team to finish the work for Beyond's case, so Watari was waiting at the airport for Matt's and Near's arrival.

Beyond's words had shaken Bambi to her core, so she was completely unable to focus on the Kira case. While L and Mello were diligently working, Bambi sat on the couch and fiddled with the Rubik's Cube that Mello had given her. Every time she got close to solving it, Mello took the cube away and messed it up to give her more to focus on. Despite his intentions, her thoughts still strayed to Beyond Birthday.

Watari had said that the coroner reported that Beyond had no symptoms that should have lead to a heart attack. With that information, Bambi began questioning her stance on the Kira debate again. _Killing is wrong, right? No matter who does it, even if the victim is a criminal, killing should be wrong._ She sighed quietly. _But, if that's true, then why do I feel so relieved? With him gone, I should be able to sleep well again. Is that what Kira is trying to do for people? Make them feel safe?_ A bitter smile found its way to her lips. _I guess now I see why Kira's followers like him so much. Whether those are his true intentions are not, he makes people feel protected._ She frowned. _Am I really doing the right thing?_

As she continued to contemplate her stance on the case, Bambi turned the sides of the cube faster and faster until a hand came into view, clasping her fingers to the cube, stopping their motion.

She narrowed her eyes as she growled, "Hey!"

The brunette looked up, expecting Mello again, only to be surprised that it was L who had grabbed her hand and was looking at her with his signature stare.

"Bambi, you should go to sleep," he suggested.

She looked back up at him and insisted, "I'm not tired."

His gaze never faltered, but due to her lack of compliance he added, "As your boss, I'm telling you to go to sleep."

She still didn't comply. Instead, she tugged at the Rubik's cube, trying to free her hands from L's as she stared him down with her tired eyes. "I'm fine here, thanks."

L was clearly irritated by the young woman's defiant behavior, but he let go, opting to walk behind the couch, toward the kitchen. As Bambi refocused her attention to the puzzle in her hands, she felt a pair of arms grab her waist from behind the couch. She yelped and dropped the cube as she was hoisted over the back of the couch. The brunette was put down to stand on her good foot as L grabbed the crutches and handed them to her before he let go of her waist.

"There. Now, go to sleep."

Bambi sent a fierce glare in his direction and just as she opened her mouth to address him, she heard the door open. The three geniuses looked toward the door as it opened, revealing Matt, Near, and Watari. Matt immediately crossed the room to greet his best friend. Near, upon spotting his partner, walked over to her. Bambi smiled and met him halfway. As the brunette opened her mouth to greet him, her jaw dropped. Not only was Near smiling—though it was a subtle smile—but, he had grown several inches during their separation and was now taller than her.

Bambi laughed at what was undoubtedly a stupid look on her face. "Geez, Near. I've only been gone for a month and you've grown this much? Oh, man. Now I'm the shortest person in the room again!"

"It was bound to happen. Men are usually taller than women," he stated.

She laughed again. "I know. Still, it was nice while it lasted. Anyway, it's nice to see you again."

"And you," he answered before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cellphone. "Here, this was left behind."

Bambi smiled as she returned the phone to her own pocket. "Man, I really could have used this the other day. Hey, did you bring my laptop too?"

"It's in the car," he said before making his way over to Watari's station for the Beyond case.

Bambi smiled again, glad to have Near back as well as her precious laptop.

L's stern voice pulled the hacker out of her thoughts. "Bambi, go to sleep before I make you go."

"Alright, already," she grumbled before making her way into the bedroom.

After closing the door behind her, Bambi shut off the lights. She frowned as she stared at the bed before redirecting her attention to the balcony doors. After a few moments of contemplation, she turned and made her way out onto the balcony. She shivered in the crisp air as she looked up at the bleak sky. With all the city lights, only the moon was visible.

When she returned her attention to herself, Bambi took her crutches and leaned them against the railing next to her. Standing on her good foot, she leaned her arms on the railing for extra support. As the brown-eyed girl gazed down at the desolate streets below, her thoughts returned to her earlier contemplation. _Is it really Kira who's doing the wrong thing?_ Before the events earlier that night, Bambi was so invested in trying to catch Kira that she never bothered to stop and actually think about where she stands on the situation.

Snowflakes began to drift from the clouds above, but Bambi remained outside to think. _Some of the criminals that he killed weren't in custody yet, so he's just doing what the world leaders haven't been able to._ A corner of her lips curled up into an ironic smirk. _Sometimes you need a vigilante to get things done right, or at least to get the leaders to do something. Maybe it's not so bad that he's killing people._ She frowned. No, it's not just criminals. He tried to kill L and he killed those FBI agents. He went too far and I have to remember that. Kira may act like a god, but his morals aren't consistent. She paused for a beat as a bitter smirk returned to her lips and she let out a quiet scoff. _Though, I can't exactly say that mine were consistent either._

Winds howled around the building as the snow started to come down even faster. Bambi shivered and returned her crutches to their places under her arms before returning to the bedroom and closing the balcony door behind her. She then did her best to pull the curtains shut and made her way to the bed.

Bambi sat down on the bedside before looking to the pillow and sighing. Her eyelids felt heavy and started to conceal the brown irises behind them. She took a deep breath and forced them open again as she ran her hands through her dark hair. As welcoming as sleep may have felt in that moment, she was painfully aware of what visions would follow. Even past those unwanted flashbacks, this whole day had felt unusually surreal. No matter how irrational she knew it was, Bambi feared that if she went to sleep, she would wake up only to find that this was all a dream, that Beyond Birthday was still alive and could find her again. She frowned as she tried to remind herself just how ridiculous her paranoia was.

The door creaked open, pulling Bambi out of her thoughts. She slowly looked over and saw L in the doorway. He stood there, studying the young woman's face for a few moments before walking in and closing the door behind him.

L stopped in front of Bambi, hunched over with his hands in his pockets as he said, "I thought I told you to go to sleep."

Bambi folded her hands in her lap as she looked to the side. "I'm not tired."

"Yes, you are," he stubbornly affirmed. "You're a bad liar when you don't sleep."

Bambi sighed and closed her eyes, knowing full well that he was right. She felt the bed dip down as another weight was added beside her. The teen opened her eyes and looked to find that L had decided to sit next to her.

He blinked owlishly as he looked her in the eye. "Bambi, do you know why you are here?"

The brunette sighed and pouted as she folded her arms and looked away. "You wanted to keep me away from Los Angeles so that I couldn't screw up the other case."

"This is true," he mused, "but, there is another reason." Bambi looked back at him in genuine curiosity as he smiled. "You have real talent and I want you to use that talent to help me catch Kira."

Bambi's eyes widened as she processed his words. She just had the honor of L, the world's greatest detective, complimenting her on her skills. Caught aback by the situation, she was left speechless.

Taking the opportunity, L finished. "I need you to be well rested to be able to use those talents. So, please, go to sleep. There is nothing left for you to fear." After he finished, he stood and began to walk out.

When he reached the door, she called out to him. "Ryuzaki?"

He stopped and turned. "Yes, Bambi?"

"Thank you."

L smiled. "You're welcome."

~o~

After his long day of writing down names in the Death Note, Light Yagami leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head in satisfaction.

The notebook's shinigami cackled, "You seem happier than usual, Light. Did you figure out the next step?"

"No, I need more information before I decide." He returned the Death Note to its hiding place. "It's just nice to put a face to the people I'm protecting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't condone vigilantism, that is coming only from the character.
> 
> Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out. I had some trouble figuring out how to introduce Beyond's reappearance. I tried to fix it by adding the section on January 18th. Did that help his reappearance seem less rushed?
> 
> Anyway, I have a question for you guys. The original version of this story had bits of romance in it too, so **do you guys ship Bambi with any of the characters so far? If yes, who?** I would really appreciate some feedback on this question (but, any feedback at all is nice too.)
> 
> Anyway, this chapter marked the end of the Beyond Arc. Up next is the Recovery Arc. Thanks for sticking with me so far!


	13. The Merry Men of Nottingham

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. I just added another scene to the previous chapter to try to make Beyond's reappearance less rushed. I would appreciate it if you read that part and told me if you felt that it worked or not. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the new chapter!

*** * * January 24 * * ***

Two days had passed since Watari arrived with Near and Matt. Near was currently sitting in front of a computer next to L as he finished up a few formalities for Beyond's case. Watari had brought Mello to a doctor earlier in the day to gauge the progress of his healing burn. Bambi, Soichiro, and Matsuda were gathered around a coffee table going through countless files, but the young woman still found herself unable to concentrate on them. She rubbed her temples and sighed before placing a file on the table.

Matt playfully plopped himself beside Bambi and addressed her in English. "Hey, how's it going over here?"

Soichiro glanced at the teens in curiosity and Matsuda blatantly watched, unable to understand what was being said as Bambi responded in English. "Honestly, it could be better."

Matt nodded before adding, "By the way, you got a bunch of calls while you were gone. I hacked your phone to listen to the messages in case the calls were connected to the case. Know anybody by the names of Kato and Melinda?"

A toothy grin found its way onto her face as she told him, "Yeah, they're my best friends."

Given her lack of ability to concentrate on her task for the Kira case, Bambi decided to see what her old friends had to say. She got up onto her crutches and made her way to the bedroom, followed by Matt.

~o~

After watching Matt close the door behind him, Matsuda turned to L. "Ryuzaki, how did you find so many smart people to help with the Kira case?"

L thought for a moment before responding, "Somewhere in the world, there is a place that raises smart children. I picked the three most promising students to work for me."

Matsuda hesitated before asking, "Three? But, there are four of them..."

L let out an irritated sigh. "Bambi is a special case."

Matsuda opened his mouth to ask about her story, but he was quickly cut off by an agitated number-one detective. "Matsuda, get back to work."

~o~

After closing the door, Matt mentioned that he was surprisingly unable to trace the phone calls. "These people aren't a part of some secret crime ring, are they?" He joked.

Bambi laughed at the suggestion before explaining, "I made sure to keep them from anything too nefarious." She then sat down on the bed and pulled her phone out of the nightstand drawer.

The redhead sat down next to her and smirked. "Ah, didn't want to involve them with your big time hacks, Miss Robin Hood?"

Bambi's eyes shot wide-open. She whipped her head around to face Matt before asking, "How did you know about that? It's not in my files."

The older teen smiled at her. "Your laptop. The coding is so unique, I immediately recognized it. I've gotta know what happened."

The brunette hesitated before realizing that he already knew too much for her to bother hiding anything. "You'll have to be more specific."

"Y'know, headlines everywhere about the Robin Hood of the new age: 'Hacker Steals Money from CEOs and Gives it to the Needy'. You lasted a few years before dropping off the face of the web. Timing says that L found you, but I have to know, why did you do it in the first place?"

Bambi sighed. "I was so bored when I started." She paused before adding, "I was thirteen years old. My school didn't let people skip grades, and nothing they had for my grade actually challenged me."

She smiled. "Kato had taught me enough about computers for me to figure the rest out. I started with small-time hacks, but as time passed, they became too easy—I wanted a challenge. I wanted to change things."

Matt nodded his head in understanding before Bambi proceeded. "I had seen so many articles about these greedy CEOs. They abused their underpaid workers, and the workers stayed because of the bad job market." She frowned. "Anyone who tried to get involved was paid off to keep all of the evidence that they uncovered to themselves. Journalists started going missing, so everyone else was too afraid to even talk about it. I had to do something."

"Oh, I remember now," Matt mused. "After word got out about 'Robin Hood', it opened the floodgates to all of that. After you stopped, the cops eventually found the evidence to press charges on the CEOs."

Bambi smiled and said, "That was the goal."

Matt's curious gaze prompted her to continue. "It took them a few months to notice, but every day I took a few hundred dollars out of their accounts and sent the money to their employees. As the CEOs started to notice, I took more and more. Hundreds of dollars became thousands. The media gave the cases more attention when I started wiring it to charity. I lost sight of my original intentions and started to put on a show instead." She sighed.

"I made it little over a year in before L started the case. Long story short, he caught up with me when I was fifteen years old. A few interrogations later, I agreed to let Watari give me some tests. My results convinced L to hire me and hide all of the evidence as long as I agreed to stop my work as Robin Hood. The rest is history."

Matt leaned in with interest. "Do you regret it?"

Bambi thought for a moment before responding, "Maybe a little, but it got me here. I'm glad to have been able to meet you guys."

The redhead smiled at the sentiment before realizing something. "Wait, did Near know about this when you were paired up?"

"Yup."

He laughed. "Oh, man. Seriously? I can't imagine that sitting well with him."

She returned the laughter. "Yeah, he was pretty mad about it. Looking back on it, I think that he hated me for a good couple of months. Sometimes I wonder what I did to make him actually like me."

After another bout of laughter between the hackers, Bambi spoke up again. "Back to the topic of my laptop, I trust that you are smart enough not to disclose any other information you found on it."

"Of course, Amelia," he finished with a wink.

She smirked at him and half-joked, "I guess that I'll just have to hack your laptop to get back at you."

Bambi waited for a few moments in silence before realizing something that she should have a while ago.

She turned to the redhead. "Matt?"

He leaned back. "Yeah?"

"Why are you really here? It can't just be about my old habit."

Matt laughed before reaching into his deep jeans pocket and pulling out a device with a screen and several buttons. It appeared to have been taken apart and put back together.

"We still need to find that tracking device," he said, causing her to wince at the thought. "I spent yesterday modifying it to be more specific and like a metal detector. It will work best on bare skin, so you should change into a tank top and shorts," he instructed before getting up to leave. "I'll go get a marker. Let me know when you're ready." With that, he walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Bambi got back up onto her crutches and made her way over to her suitcase. She had stopped unpacking at each hotel since it was such a hassle to repack her belongings every few days with her injuries.

The young woman picked out a light shirt and shorts before making her way back to the bed. She sat down on the bed, leaning her crutches against the nightstand before taking off her shirt and any excess layers she had on. She then put on the tank top.

After that, she took her shoe and socks off. As she reached down, she saw her bare arms. The stitches did their job to close all of the wounds, and some had already fallen out. The anti-scar cream was helping the healing process, but it hadn't completed it's job just yet. Bambi changed out of the rest of her clothes and carefully slid her shorts on.

Just then, she heard a knock on the door and Matt called out, "Hey, are you ready yet?"

"Yeah, you can come in now."

Matt opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind him again. He had a marker in his hands and his goggles sitting on top of his head. When Matt turned to face Bambi, he stopped in his tracks.

His shoulders drooped, and his lips dipped into a frown as his breath got caught in his chest. His softened gaze traveled from the scars on the brunette's arms to her legs. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, bringing Matt out of his stupor.

As he walked up to her, he explained, "We'll check your exposed skin first and hope for the best. I'll start with your legs so you won't have to stand for too long. You're crutches will get in the way, though, so I'll need you to balance against the wall. Okay?"

"Okay."

Upon Bambi's agreement, Matt helped her up, slipping his arm around her waist as she slung her arm over his shoulder. He helped her over to the wall, as she hopped on one foot. After making sure that she was holding herself up with her hand against the wall and all pressure on her good foot, Matt let go and kneeled down with the modified tracking device.

He started with Bambi's right foot before slowly moving the device up and down in front of her leg. He made sure to check each side before moving to her other leg, careful not to touch her injured ankle.

After being sure that the microchip was in neither leg, he stood back up and helped the injured woman make her way back to the bed, where she sat down again. Matt sat down next to her and held her arm up to make it easier to check. As his hand gently touched some of the stitches on Bambi's arm, the same sad look returned to his eyes. His lips tightened into a thin line as he stared at the scars.

A soft frown settled on the brunette's face as she observed his expression. She sighed before speaking up and trying to ease his apparent feelings of guilt. "Matt, please, don't think that this is your fault. He was way out of our league," she tried to explain as he looked up at her. "Nothing you could have done would have stopped him."

He gave her a soft smile before giving her an unconvincing, "I know."

He then began moving the tracking device from her finger tips and upward. When he reached a few inches above her elbow, it sounded off. Bambi shuddered at the renewed idea that there was a tracking device implanted in her body. Matt reached for the marker and marked the exact spot. He then moved the device to the adjacent side of her arm, keeping it perpendicular to the surface so that he could mark the exact cross section.

After making the second mark, he stood up. "I'll go let Ryuzaki know that I found it. The surgery will probably be tomorrow or the next day, knowing how impatient he is."

Bambi laughed at his comment and agreed. "Yeah, it probably will be."

With a smile, he turned toward the door and walked out, closing the door behind him to allow the brunette some privacy so that she could change back into more winter-friendly attire.

After changing, Bambi decided to pick up her phone and listen to her voicemails like she had intended to when she first went into the bedroom. After she entered her password, she put the phone to her ear and listened.

First came the familiar voice of a young man, Kato. "Hey, Boss. We're just calling to see how you have been, but you're not answering, so—oof!" Bambi heard the phone being transferred into someone else's hands before hearing the jovial voice of her oldest friend, Melinda. "You haven't called in forever! Please come to graduation, we miss you~." The message ended.

A short laugh escaped Bambi's lips. They certainly haven't changed a bit.

The second message began playing. Melinda sounded elated as her recorded voice cried out, "We did it, Boss! I made it into my top choice for college and Kato did too!" Bambi heard muffled cries of protest from Kato in the background as their red-haired friend continued. "He doesn't want me to tell you, but he got into MIT! Isn't that great? Call me back when you get this message~." The call ended and the next one sounded off.

Kato's voice rang through this time, sounding frustrated. "Please disregard what Melinda said. They didn't give me a big scholarship, and my parents got angry with me when they found out that it would cost so much. I'm not going to go to MIT." He ended, sounding disappointed.

Bambi frowned, knowing that he had his heart set on the university for most of his life. The fourth and final voicemail was from about a week ago.

Kato's voice was shaking as he softly began, "Amelia? I... I saw an article. It didn't mention your name, but I know it was you from the picture. I, uh... I didn't tell Melinda yet—you know how she is about blood." He laughed dryly, no emotion backing it. "I couldn't find your name in the hospital's database, so I know it was work-related." He paused, inhaling sharply before continuing, "Just, please, um... call me when you get this message."

The call ended, and Bambi slowly lowered the phone to the bed. Her eyes were wide as she took in his words. She put her head in her hands as she fully grasped the situation.

"Son of a bitch."

*** * * January 27 * * ***

A young man with brown eyes and messy, black hair sat at his desk in the computer department of a high school in the United States. As president of the computer club, Kato Nakamura had the key to the club room, which he often used during breaks and after school to leisurely browse the web. Today, however, Kato was on a mission. With dark circles lining his eyes, the Japanese immigrant tirelessly searched for any articles about Beyond Birthday and the fate of his close friend and mentor, Amelia. He had several tabs of research up already, but the most recent information he could find was from about a month ago, when she was in the hospital with the young blond man who led her rescue team.

While focusing on his research, Kato heard his name being called out. He looked up to see his red-haired and freckled friend, the always upbeat Melinda Carter, as she walked up to him. Kato slowly closed his laptop as the blue-eyed girl approached.

She briefly glanced at his laptop before stopping next to his chair and asking, "Did you find any interesting news today?"

Kato shot out a quick, "No."

Looking unimpressed, Melinda raised an eyebrow incredulously as she folded her arms. "What did you really find?"

The young man began to sweat a bit under the pressure as he tried to change the subject. "So, have you decided which school you want to go to yet?"

Melinda huffed. "I know what you're doing, Kato, and it won't work. I know your tricks and Bambi's too."

"What?" He asked innocently. "I'm not doing anything, I'm just genuinely curious. I know you weren't sure, so I was wondering if that changed."

She hesitated before perking right back up as she nonchalantly leaned against the desk. "Well, I like California's weather better than Boston's, since it's much warmer and—" She dashed off, Kato's laptop in hand.

Kato's eyes widened like saucepans and he scrambled out of the chair, racing after her. He banked down the hallway to the left as he called out, "Melinda, give it back!"

She sent a smirk in his direction as she kept running down the hall past other students. Kato increased his speed as he weaved in and out of the students in the hallway.

He brushed past a freshman. "Excuse me!"

He ran through a conversation. "Sorry!"

"Melinda!" He cried out as he started gaining on her.

Kato reached his hand out to grab her arm just as she took a sharp right and entered a room. Kato stopped in his tracks as he read the sign: 'Women's Restroom'.

Kato let out a frustrated groan as he banged on the door and complained, "That's not fair, Melinda! Come back out here and give me back my laptop!"

Inside the restroom, Melinda sat on the closed toilet seat, ignoring him as she opened the laptop to see what her friend was hiding. The first tab was a Wikipedia page on a man called 'Beyond Birthday.' The teen acknowledged the strange name before skimming through the overview.

The article described a man with a mysterious past who was responsible for a set of murders several years ago. He was caught by Agent Naomi Misora of the FBI and was eventually sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The article went on to report that the serial killer escaped from prison and was suspected to be responsible for another series of murders in Los Angeles and a kidnapping, the most recent of which happened a month ago. His current whereabouts were unknown.

Melinda stared at the article as she processed the information. When she looked up at the other tabs, she could see that several of them had similar titles. As she clicked through them, she took note that they were all recent articles about the suspected murders.

As she continued glancing through the tabs, she mumbled, "Why would he be researching this much into a serial killer?"

The next tab she clicked on was an article by a Californian newspaper. As the image loaded, Melinda read the caption: 'Pictured above is the young woman being rescued after three days of captivity.'

When the image loaded, Melinda's eyes went wide. The image captured her best friend, unconscious and covered in blood, being carried by a man with blond hair who had recently sustained horrible burns on his left side at the time the photograph was taken.

She jolted up, letting the laptop crash to the floor as she covered her mouth with one hand and leaned against the wall with the other. Tears spilled from her eyes as she moaned out, "No, Amelia. Oh my God."

Outside of the restroom, Kato heard the clatter of his laptop on the tiled floor and Melinda's sobbing. He flattened his palm on the door and looked down at his feet.

He sighed, disappointed in himself, before softly calling out, "Melinda?"

Nothing but quiet sobs came from the other side of the door.

Kato closed his eyes as tears began to accumulate. "I'm so sorry."


	14. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it took so long for this chapter to get out. This semester has been really difficult for me between the content and some other things going on in my personal life.
> 
> I've updated a few of the past chapters just now. Chapters with major, non-grammatical edits have it mentioned in the beginning notes of the chapter. Some extra scenes were added to further explain and foreshadow (if it's you're first time reading.)
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the chapter.

*** * * January 30 * * ***

Bambi had decided to put off dealing with her old friends until after her surgery, and Watari had booked the earliest day he could for it. After nearly a week of waiting, she was sitting in an empty waiting room with Mello to her left and Near to her right. Watari sat in the corner to the right of Near, reading the newspaper.

The teen knew that Watari was there to pay for the surgery and to drive her back to headquarters so that she could recover afterwards. What she didn't know, however, was why the other two were present. Rather than bothering to think about it herself, she opted to just ask the boys directly.

"So, why did you guys come with me?" She asked aloud in English.

Mello leaned back in his chair as he answered, "I'm here to get my prescription refilled."

Bambi raised an eyebrow. "You mean the burn heal?"

"You and your damn games," he mumbled as he shook his head.

The brunette's lips curved upward into a sly smile. "Well, you knew what I meant. What does that say about you and 'those damn games'?"

"It says that my best friend is just as crazy about them as you are." He lightly poked her arm.

Bambi stuck her tongue out at him in rebuttal. The blond rolled his eyes and shook his head, though not without a smile on his face.

The hacker than turned to her partner and asked, "What about you, Near? Why are you here?"

Near looked at her as he twirled his white hair around his finger and calmly responded, "L suggested that I come along as moral support."

Mello pushed his way into Bambi's space, glaring at Near as he growled, "I could have just done it. We don't need you here."

Near seemed completely unphased by Mello's reaction—though, Bambi picked up on a familiar hint of irritation in her partner's eyes.

He looked at Mello as he explained, "You may take longer than you expect. I will be able to stay with Bambi after her surgery because I am uninjured."

Mello's grip on the armrest tightened with his rising temper. Bambi rolled her eyes. _Here we go again._

She put her arms up between the two and lightly pushed Mello back into his seat. "Relax. It is what it is and there's no point in arguing over it."

Before he could protest, the nurse at the desk called out, "Mr. Moto, Doctor Song is ready for you." The blond got up at the sound of his Japanese alias, followed by Watari.

A few minutes later, the nurse called out again, "Miss Stone, you can come back now."

Bambi got up onto her crutches and followed another nurse into the room. The nurse left to allow the brunette to change into her surgical gown in privacy before returning with a middle-aged woman in scrubs.

The new woman addressed her patient. "Good morning, Miss Stone. My name is Doctor Ono, and I'll be playing the role of your surgeon today—unless you want to switch places, of course!" She let out a hearty laugh before waving her hand in a dismissing fashion.

Bambi cracked a smile at her words. _I like this lady._

"All joking aside, lets get started. You will be given anesthesia via a mask so that you aren't conscious for the surgery and so that you don't feel it. The anesthesia will make you feel funny before and a bit after you wake up from the surgery."

The teen raised an eyebrow before asking, "Funny how?"

"It depends on the individual," Doctor Ono explained. "I have had patients come out with a light headache and be fine right away, but I have also had patients who wake up and vomit or have slight amnesia and need some time to recuperate."

"Oh."

"During the surgery we are going to move your muscles out of the way and make as few cuts as possible so that we can extract the microchip. It will take about two weeks for your arm to heal, so until then you will have to keep your arm in a sling." Doctor Ono gestured to Bambi's crutches. "So, you'll be in a wheelchair until you can walk or your arm heals—whichever comes first."

After her explanation was finished, the surgeon left the room and the nurse wheeled Bambi to another room. There, she was helped onto a sanitary table, where she laid down. The anesthesiologist attached the mask over her nose and mouth.

Bambi took a calming breath to ease her last minute nerves before beginning to mentally count down like the anesthesiologist instructed.

_10... 9... 8..._

Her face began to feel tingly.

_7... 6..._

Her toes started to feel odd.

_5... 4..._

Her vision was getting blurry.

_3... 2..._

Bambi closed her eyes and slipped into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.

_The darkness around her faded away. She was in her prison again. Her clothes were soaked in blood and her arms were chained over her head once more._

_"Amelia~," The ghastly voice of her tormentor echoed throughout the room._

_Her heart stopped as she frantically looked around. Beyond Birthday appeared at the door with a bloodthirsty smile and his knife in hand. She screamed at the sight of the murderer as he ran at her. As she watched him raise the knife above her head, she closed her eyes and leaned back, falling through her shackles and the wall behind her._

_When she opened her eyes again, she was in her hometown, unscathed. Bambi saw Kato and Melinda walking through the streets, calling out her name. Beyond was sneaking up behind the pair. She opened her mouth to warn them._

_Nothing but a raspy sound escaped her lips. She tried to run to them, but each step was like wading through thick syrup. Beyond whipped out a gun and shot both of them. As the bullets violently tore through their bodies, Kato and Melinda collapsed into piles of dust._

_Bambi stopped in her tracks, devastated by the sight._

_"They can't be gone," she mumbled._

_Beyond cackled maniacally at his feat, drawing her terrified expression to him. She saw bloodlust in his eyes as he looked at her before melting into a puddle and down a street drain. As the wind blew her friends' ashes away, she regained her movements. Bambi turned around and ran._

_The world around her turned darker and darker with each step she took. As the world faded to black, she heard only the echoes of her pounding footsteps and her shallow breaths._

_The sounds were silenced as Bambi's chest began to hurt. She clutched it as a deep, booming voice rang out from the heavens._

_"Amelia Stein, you have been found guilty of crimes against our Lord Kira. To pay for your sins, I sentence you to DEATH."_

_She collapsed to the ground, clutching her aching chest as terrified tears streamed down her cheeks. "No!"_

Bambi's eyes shot wide-open. Her heart was pounding. She could feel a cold sweat all over her body and dried tears on her cheeks. The world around her was bright and blurry. She blinked a few times to sharpen her focus.

The hacker found herself in the hospital, attached to a heart monitor. Near sat in a chair on one side of the room, looking at her. Bambi frowned as she realized that he must have witnessed her reactions to the nightmare. Hopefully he doesn't say anything about it. The injured teen looked to the other side of the room. To her surprise, Watari wasn't there. Instead, the nurse from before was standing there.

"Miss Stone," the nurse addressed her. "I don't know if you remember, but you woke up after the surgery earlier and weren't feeling well, so we let you rest. How are you feeling now?"

Bambi's heart rate had returned to normal by this point and she said, "I'm exhausted."

The nurse jotted down a few quick notes on the chart before turning back to Bambi. "I'll help you get changed into street clothes so that you can leave." She then turned to Near. "Sir, you'll have to wait outside. I'll bring your sister to you."

Near nodded his head and got up to return to the waiting room. Once the curtain was closed, the nurse helped Bambi up and into the clothes that she was wearing before. With her arm in its sling and her ankle not fully healed yet, the nurse helped the teen onto her good foot and into the wheelchair.

As she wheeled the young woman out of the room, the nurse informed her, "Doctor Ono gave your prescription for pain medication to your grandfather earlier. They also wanted to let you know that your crutches are in his car."

"Okay."

When they reach the waiting room, the nurse let Near take control of Bambi's wheelchair. As the two of them neared the exit, they met up with Watari and Mello—both of whom were holding onto canes.

As the two of them started walking beside the wheelchair, the brunette looked up at Mello in curiosity and asked, "Dude, what's with the cane?"

Mello smirked down at her before responding, "You're supposed to be able to walk next week without crutches. The cane is for you, I'm just holding it until then."

It was a dumb excuse, but Bambi knew that she would never get him to admit the true reason. Instead of prying, she huffed and moved to fold her arms, hurting herself in the process.

When the four of them reached the car, Mello took the front passenger seat, and Watari helped Bambi into the seat behind the blond. After Watari and Near got in the car, Watari returned to the newest Headquarters.

*** * * February 3 * * ***

Bambi sat on the hotel couch next to Matt with his laptop open in front of them. The two were jointly writing a program to help find Kira's victims when Near walked over to L, who was sitting across the room in front of his own computer.

The youngest prodigy spoke up. "Ryuzaki, all of the paperwork is completed."

L took a sip of his tea-coated sugar cubes before saying, "Good."

As Bambi listened in on the conversation, she began to wonder what would happen to her next. _I guess that's it. With L working on the Kira case, he'll probably have other work for us._ She frowned at the thought of having to leave now. Her own thoughts on the case aside, she really liked getting to know Matt and Mello over the course of the past several weeks.

Mello walked by, stopping near the couch to listen as Near addressed L again. "We were only here because of the Beyond Birthday case. Now that it's officially over, what are our next assignments?"

L turned in his chair, looking at the teens near the couch for a few moments before responding, "Your next assignment is to help me complete the Kira case. Nothing else matters anymore." With that said, he turned back to his computer.

Near nodded and made his way to one of the computer screens to begin his work. Mello smiled at the news before continuing with his previous task. Matt redirected his attention to his laptop again, not particularly caring. Bambi looked down at her lap.

L's decision reminded her of the nightmares that kept haunting her every time she slept for the past few weeks, particularly the ones since she listened to the voicemails left by Kato and Melinda. The more Bambi though about it, the more she came to the conclusion that her friends—and everyone else that she cared about—could be in danger if Kira were to ever find out about her involvement with the Task Force. She needed to wipe any traces of her past off the grid and sever any connection between her and her childhood friends.

Matt asked Bambi a question about the code they were writing, returning the front of her attention to the task at hand. Still, she continued planning in the back of her mind.

At around three o'clock in the morning, after she and Matt had finished writing and debugging their program, Bambi wheeled her way to the bedroom, opened her laptop and began to set out on her plan. After a quick search through her archives, the hacker found the IP Address to Kato's laptop.

She spent a little over an hour breaking into his computer without setting any alarms off. Once she got inside, she created a new Microsoft Word Document. Inside the document, Bambi left the address to a safe video chat that she had set up earlier. Following the address, she left short instructions.

"February 8 / 22:00 UTC / Bring Melinda."

She signed the document off with her initials and saved it before leaving his laptop and closing her own.

Bambi heard a knock at the door and looked up to see Watari standing in the doorway. He walked in and took a seat next to her.

"Bambi, you're still having those nightmares, aren't you?"

She sighed before admitting, "Yeah, every night."

"Near told me what happened after your surgery." Bambi frowned at the news and the old man continued. "It only confirmed my suspicions. The dark circles under your eyes nearly match Ryuzaki's. He and I have taken note of your inability to focus on the case, as well."

The brunette looked down at her feet as she softly asked, "Then, why keep me on the case?"

Watari took note of her sullen reaction and put a fatherly hand on the teen's shoulder, directing her attention to him as he spoke. "It's okay to be scared, Bambi. These are all normal reactions for what you have been through."

Her gaze remained at her lap as she said nothing.

A few moments passed before the inventor reached into his pocket and pulled out a small book. The title of the book was _'Living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder'._

As he handed it to Bambi, he explained, "Whether you have PTSD or not, this book should help you get past what happened and allow you to be yourself again."

"That's easier said than done," she mumbled.

As Watari stood to leave, he added, "One more thing, Bambi. Once your arm heals, I want you to take a day off and go do something that you enjoy. Being cooped up in here won't help you."

Once he walked out of the room, the brunette looked back down at the book. She stayed that way for a few minutes before opening to the first page. _Well, here goes nothing._


	15. Old Friends, Loose Ends

*** * * February 8 * * ***

The sun was just starting to rise above the horizon. Its warm rays had just barely reached the hotel room that housed the Japanese Kira Task Force. Once Bambi had her laptop carefully balanced on her lap and a new room key in her pocket, she quietly opened the bedroom door with her good arm to peak into the main room. As she scanned the area, she found Matt playing one of his handhelds on the couch, Mello rummaging through the kitchen, Aizawa sifting through piles of files at the coffee table, and L occupied at a computer in the corner of the room, facing away from her. _Perfect._

Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, the teen silently wheeled herself out the door and into the empty hallway. After checking the time, she took the new room key out of her pocket and checked the room number. She then returned the key to her pocket and wheeled herself down the hallway, coming to a stop once she located the correct number.

Bambi quickly let herself into the room and locked the door behind her. Then she wheeled herself to the table, placed her laptop in front of her, and swiftly made her way to the private video chat that she had set up several days earlier. The hacker checked that the webcam was still off before opening her voice scrambling program. After confirming that it was exactly six o'clock, she opened the video feed.

Two faces appeared on the screen. On the left sat Kato, a young man with dark brown eyes and messy black hair that was no longer than Near's. His eyebrows furrowed and a worried frown settled on his face when he saw an Old English 'B' on his screen. To the right sat Melinda, a young woman with long red hair and a face dotted with freckles. Her sky blue eyes were pained as they frantically skittered across the screen.

Bambi spoke into the microphone. "Before we begin, I will ask you a few questions to confirm who you are and that you are alone. Only then will I show you my face."

As Melinda vigorously nodded her head, Kato said, "Okay."

"What's my zodiac sign?"

Kato raised an eyebrow before looking over to the girl next to him. She looked up as she pondered for a moment. "Hmmm... Your birthday is... Oh right, you're a Pisces!"

"Kato, what is my favorite color?"

He glanced around the room before looking to his right as he answered, "Green."

Bambi smiled and shut down the voice scrambling program. "It has been a while since we've had to use those codes."

The pair returned their eyes to the screen and smiled at the sound of their friend's voice.

As the brunette turned on her webcam, she laughed lightly. "I almost forgot them, actually."

Kato smiled and his body visibly relaxed as he sighed in relief. Melinda's expression fell as her eyes landed on the scar on Bambi's cheek and her arm in a sling. "Oh my God. Amy, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mel."

"Are you sure? You don't look it." Tears started welling up in her eyes.

"Mel," Bambi drew out with a warning tone.

"Your job isn't safe, Amy. Please quit!"

"Melinda," Bambi raised her voice.

"That guy is still out there! Please-"

"Melinda Ann Carter." She stressed each syllable, silencing the redhead. "Just listen to me!"

The eldest looked down ashamedly. "I'm sorry."

Bambi took a deep breath, rubbing her temple with her good hand before looking back up at the screen. "Mel, he's dead."

Melinda stared at her best friend, wide-eyed in disbelief. "What?"

"He's dead," the brunette repeated. "The person who did this to me was killed."

This time Kato spoke up, his tone wary. "How did he die? I read about him, and he didn't seem easy to catch."

Bambi hesitated for a moment before deciding that they had the right to know. "Have you two heard of someone called Kira?"

Kato nodded his head and Melinda jumped in. "You mean the guy who's been killing criminals?"

"Yes," Bambi confirmed. "We think that Kira killed him."

"How do you know?" The redhead asked.

"He had a heart attack, but nothing that should have lead up to it."

There was a short silence between the three friends before Kato cautiously asked, "What kind of work are you even doing now?"

Bambi frowned. "We've been over this before. I can't tell you."

"Right..." Kato looked down at his lap, a small frown present on his face.

Silence settled once more. Bambi did her best to keep a straight face despite what emotions she was going through. Still, her eyes gave some of it away. These two were like the family that she never had and they meant more to her than anyone else. She knew that this was for their own good, but it still hurts to let go of the people you love.

Bambi took another deep breath and began. "I need you guys to do something for me." The pair on the other side of the world looked back up at the screen as the brunette continued. "First, if anyone asks if you know someone called 'Bambi', tell them that you don't. If you really have to talk about me, only use my real name."

Melinda raised her eyebrow. "Why?"

"My work is very dangerous right now and I don't want you getting caught in the middle of it."

They reluctantly agreed, though not without worry for their friend's safety.

"Kato," the hacker began again. "I need you to find that article again and get rid of the picture for me. If you see any other pictures of me online, delete those as well."

Bambi could see him fighting off tears as he tightened his lips and furrowed his eyebrows. He must have just begun to realize her true reasons for contacting them. A few moment passed before he nodded his head.

After bringing up a new window and making a few keystrokes, Bambi addressed him again. "I'm sending you a code. I need you to save it to an empty USB drive and upload it into one of the school's computers. Once you're done with that, you need to destroy the USB."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? What is it going to do?"

"It will give me access to delete all of my electronic records in the school."

As the file was sent to his laptop, Kato gulped. After a moment of thought, he uttered a shaky, "Okay."

"I need one last thing from you both." Bambi waited a few moments as she mentally prepared herself. "Don't try to contact me again."

Kato looked down, his lips forming a tight line again. He knew that she was leading up to this. Melinda, on the other hand, hadn't figured it out. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape. Tears began accumulating in her eyes once more.

"Wait for my message," Bambi instructed. "I'll contact you when it's safe again."

They nodded, neither of them able to speak at the moment.

The hacker forced a smile, though it was a sad one. "As thanks, I'm going to-"

The door handle jiggled.

Bambi's eyes went wide at the sound and partially turned the wheelchair so that she could face the door. She motioned for her friends to stay silent before closing the screen halfway and turning the laptop around. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she realized that she was completely vulnerable to an attack with only one good arm and one good leg.

Her eyes were trained on the door as it was pushed open, revealing a bandage-less Mello holding what appeared to be lock-picking tools. Bambi tensed at the sight. If he got in here that way, L must have noticed that I left.

The brunette forced a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Ryuzaki sent me." He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing away from headquarters?"

As his eyes landed on Bambi's half-opened laptop, she pushed it further away from him. "Just... playing games."

As he shifted his gaze from the laptop to Bambi, his eyes narrowed. His tone became low, almost matching that of all those times they argued that first week so long ago. "Oh, really?"

He took a step toward her, briefly glancing at the laptop again. The hacker's false smile faltered as a cold sweat began to trickle down the back of her neck. She didn't want to involve him in this, and she certainly didn't want L to know.

Bambi carefully wheeled herself in front of the table, facing Mello a short distance away. Neither of them dared to speak as they stared each other down. He glanced to the laptop again. Another few moments passed.

"Mello-"

He darted forward, past her incapacitated arm, and grabbed her laptop.

As Bambi turned her head to follow him, she pushed herself out of the wheelchair and onto her feet. She stumbled on her healing ankle as she swiveled around, accidentally pushing her wheelchair away. She caught herself with her good hand on the table as she faced the man behind it.

"Mel-" Her expression dropped.

He had opened the laptop and was now staring at the two teens on the screen, wide-eyed.

"What's going on?" Bambi heard Melinda call out. "Ame-" She could only assume that Kato had covered the redhead's mouth to prevent her from saying the brunette's name.

Mello narrowed his eyes and turned his attention from the screen to Bambi as he demanded to know, "Who are they?"

The hacker speechless. Her mouth was open, but she could form no words.

"Who are they and why did you contact them?" He repeated, his voice even lower than before.

"Mute it," Bambi whispered. "I'll explain everything then, but they don't need to hear this."

He waited for a moment, taking in her expression before turning his attention to the laptop. The young woman waited as he used the touchpad and clicked on a few things. He then turned the screen to face her, showing her that the video chat and microphone were muted.

"Now close the screen and put it down." She instructed. "She can read lips."

He returned the screen to face him, but did not comply to the demands.

Bambi narrowed her eyes at him and tightened her grip on the table. "Look, I can barely stand right now. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't take it back. Just put the damn thing down already."

Another few moments passed before Mello grudgingly agreed. Once the laptop was closed and on the table, he folded his arms. "Well?"

Bambi fumbled with her words as she began her explanation. "I grew up in an orphanage too... And those guys... We're like a family, and..." She groaned at her inability to think straight and paused to recollect her thoughts.

After a few moments, she sighed and looked down. "Back in California... He did what he did to me... to both of us," she corrected, "because he wanted to get to L."

When she looked back up, she could see that Mello's expression had softened.

He remained surprisingly quiet, allowing the brunette to continue. "Thanks to Lind L. Taylor, we know that Kira will do anything to get rid of L... probably the Task Force too." She paused. "That's why I called them... I'm severing our connection. I can't leave the possibility of them getting hurt because Kira wants to get to the Task Force."

Mello looked her straight in the eye. "How do I know that you're not leaking information about the case to these people?"

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows as she tightened her grip once more. "Then just stay here and listen. I don't care! I need to do this whether you believe me or not."

He took in her expression, waiting for a few moments as he made his decision.

"Fine."

Mello pushed the laptop across the table to the hacker and took a seat. Bambi removed her hand from the table and limped to the nearest chair. Once sitting across from the blond, she pulled the laptop back to her, opened it, and turned on the sound.

Before she could even speak, Melinda was yelling out. "Who was that guy? What's going on?"

"Don't ask. Everything's fine. All green," the brunette assured her. "Anyway, to thank you guys, I've wired money into both of your bank accounts to pay for your college tuitions for the next four years." She looked directly at Kato and said, "You can go to MIT if you want."

He was speechless. Melinda smiled at him and shook his shoulder excitedly.

Mello jumped in, his eyebrow raised incredulously. "Where the Hell did you get the money for that? We don't get paid that much."

Bambi looked up from the screen. "I'll tell you later."

As the young woman brought her attention back to her friends, Kato spoke up. "Won't it look suspicious if we suddenly had all that money?"

She thought for a moment. "If they do suspect you, I'll be sure to have 'my boss' leave a message. They won't give you any trouble then."

"You wouldn't." Mello narrowed his eyes at the hacker.

"Yes, I would. He's not gonna care anyway."

Bambi's tone reminded Mello how seriously she was taking their safety, and he certainly didn't blame her for it. He stopped arguing, allowing her to continue.

As she looked back up at the screen, the brunette saw Kato smiling sadly. "Thank you, Amelia."

Bambi returned his smile as she began to wrap up. "I'll call you again when it's safe. Don't worry about me, though. It's your senior year, enjoy yourselves."

Kato nodded, unable to look up at the screen and respond. Melinda wiped her falling tears and looked up at the screen. Her voice was shaky as she said, "I'll miss you."

The investigator smiled sadly. "I'll miss you guys too."

The three friends bid their farewells, not wanting to drag this out any longer. Once Bambi turned off her laptop, she looked up at Mello.

He leaned his folded arms on the table as he began. "Before we head back, mind telling me how exactly you have all of that money?"

She smiled, grateful for the distraction. "Have you ever heard of the Robin Hood Hacker?"

~o~

Once Kato had carefully returned his laptop to his backpack, he followed Melinda out of the old tree fort that the trio of friends had built as children. He was silent as he followed the redhead to her car. As they drove, he thought back to Amelia and the blond man who had interrupted their conversation. She had called him 'Mello', and Kato knew that he had never met him before. If that's really the case, then why did he seem so familiar?

Melinda had been surprisingly quiet throughout the car ride, so Kato was surprised when she pulled up to his house already. The two bid a short goodbye as he exited the car and she drove off.

He stepped into the small house, locking the door behind him. It was silent as he walked in. Mom and Dad must be working late again, he realized. The young man sighed before walking into the kitchen and setting his backpack on the table.

After grabbing a microwaveable dinner out of the freezer and heating it up, he returned to the table and powered on his laptop. He took a bite out of his meal and brought up the article that he had bookmarked in order to hack into it and remove the picture. As the page loaded, his eyes went wide. Mello is the guy who saved Amelia.

~o~

Later that night, once her parents and siblings were asleep, Melinda locked her door and turned on her laptop. The screen lit up her dark room and she logged into her homepage. She went to the section of the website for thank you messages and left her own.

"Dear Kira, Thank you for killing Beyond Birthday. He hurt my friend, but now I know that he can't hurt her anymore. You have put me at ease once again."

~o~

Many hours later, back in Japan, Light Yagami was sitting in his room and taking a short break from writing names in the Death Note. Instead, he chose to look at one of those Kira websites again. He had been making a habit out of visiting one American site in particular because it had a page solely dedicated to people thanking Kira for what he has done. Whenever he begins to doubt himself or feel a little sick from killing people, Light reads the page to remind himself how much people have benefited from his work as Kira.

He smiled as he read through the thanks left for him. One comment thread in particular piqued his interest.

"Ryuk, come look at this."

The shinigami stood from his position on the bed and walked behind Light. He loomed over the brunet's shoulder, reading the opened comment thread.

>   
> _+ softballginger: Dear Kira, Thank you for killing Beyond Birthday. He hurt my friend, but now I know that he can't hurt her anymore. You have put me at ease once again._
> 
> _- mrxmime: Was your friend that girl from Cali? I did a report on this guy in my psych class and she was the only person he didn't kill._
> 
> _- softballginger: Yea, that was her. And, Oh my gosh, I didn't know that. So scary :(_
> 
> _- mrxmime: She's lucky. Did she know him before he was thrown in jail? It's pretty abnormal for a guy with his criminal history to suddenly change from murder to torture like that._
> 
> _- softballginger: No._
> 
> _- mrxmime: Damn. I guess no one will ever really know why he did it, then. I guess something just snapped when he saw her. Though, the guy must have already lost his marbles by then, knowing what he did to his first victims and himself in the Wara Ningyo case. Maybe he was one of those crazy stalkers._
> 
> _- softballginger: Please stop, you're scaring me :(_
> 
> _- mrxmime: Sorry, I got carried away. Don't worry, though, Lord Kira will protect us from evil like him =)_

Several moments passed before Ryuk commented, "Humans are interesting."

"Is that all you got out of that?" The brunet asked, a tad of irritation clear in his voice.

The shinigami's silence told Light that he was correct.

"They're talking about the girl that I met at the entrance exams," he explained.

"...Okay?"

"It's just nice to put a friendly face to these people, especially when my work is appreciated." Light smiled as he thought back to the girl, hoping that he would be able to see her again.


	16. Preparation

*** * * February 21 * * ***

It had been a few weeks since Bambi had cut off communication with her childhood friends. Although it was hard to do at the time, everyone had been doing what they could to help her get through this.

Without the stress that she previously had about her friends, Bambi has found herself able to sleep a little more soundly at night. She still had dark circles under her eyes from not sleeping enough, but they were not as bad as L's anymore.

While her mind slowly recovered from her trauma, her body had been healing its physical wounds. Bambi was starting to be able to walk on both feet without assistance for short periods of time, though she still carried the cane that Mello had given her. Just yesterday she was given permission to take her arm out of it's sling. Many of the teen's scars were rapidly healing with the help of her anti-scar cream. Unfortunately, the scar on her cheek was healing the slowest, reminding her of the events that led to it each time she looked in the mirror.

Bambi wasn't the only person healing, though. Just recently, she began to take note that Mello had been regaining more mobility again and his scars were starting to visibly disappear.

Having already gone through all of the new Kira murders that were reported today, the young woman decided to do something else that she had hoped would help her recover faster. She sat in a chair in a secluded part of the room, her cane leaning next to the wall behind her. She munched on a light snack as you re-read the PTSD book that Watari had given her.

There was one section that had been standing out to Bambi since the first time that she read it. Whether she was comfortable admitting it or not, these words felt like they were written for her.

"Overcoming your sense of helplessness is key to overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Trauma leaves you feeling powerless and vulnerable. Taking positive action directly challenges the sense of helplessness that is a common symptom of PTSD."

_I do feel helpless and like a hinderance to the Kira investigation,_ she thought as she read the paragraph again. _I know that it says to do something about it, but I don't know what to do._

"Bambi."

The brunette was pulled out of her thoughts and looked up to find L standing in front of her. His arms were extended outward as he held the corners of a sheet of paper between his thumbs and index fingers. As she looked more closely, Bambi could see that it was a letter that had been intercepted on it's way to a remote town in Canada and that it was addressed to Emily Stone: her To-Oh alias.

L spoke, returning her attention to him. "You have been accepted to To-Oh University."

Bambi smiled. "That's good to hear."

"I have also been accepted," he informed her as he handed over the letter. "Now you can use your assigned login information to create your schedule for next semester."

Bambi briefly looked over the information in the letter before returning her attention to L. "I'm actually going to have to do all of that schoolwork too, aren't I?"

L stared at her owlishly as he responded, "Of course. You have to keep your cover."

Bambi sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much."

"Follow me." He motioned for her to stand. "I'll need your help before we choose our classes."

As he backed away, Bambi put down her book and stood. After grabbing her cane, she followed L out of the suite that housed the Task Force Headquarters and down the hallway to another room. L unlocked the door and let the both of them in, revealing the hacker's laptop sitting on the dining table in the middle of the room. She frowned. I guess he took it while I was sleeping.

Bambi followed L to the table and took a seat in front of her laptop. Assuming that he wanted to use it for their schedules, she powered it on.

As she logged in, L informed her, "I had Matt plant a bug in the To-Oh scheduling system while you slept last night. All we need to do is find Light Yagami's schedule and base our schedules off his." He then continued on, giving the hacker the information that she needed.

After she was logged into her laptop, she began hacking into the scheduling system. L curiously watched the teen's work over the next half hour as she cautiously followed the path that Matt's bug had opened up for her overnight.

While they waited for Light Yagami's schedule to load, Bambi broke the silence. "So, am I only taking classes that he's in?"

L's eyes never drifted from the screen as he replied, "That's the goal, but we need to make sure that you and I are full time students so that we get our full tuitions paid for. You may need to take other classes as well."

Once the schedule loaded, Bambi took a screenshot of the page for later reference and exited the system. She then opened the screenshot and the two investigators read through the information.

> Yagami, Light
> 
> Major: Criminal Justice
> 
> Spring Schedule:
> 
> CJS 101B - Introduction to the Japanese Criminal Justice System (4 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00am-8:50am :::
> 
> COR 101E - Introduction to Corrections (4 credits)  
>  ::: Monday 1:00pm-1:50pm, Wednesday 10:00am-10:50am, Friday 12:00pm-12:50pm :::
> 
> MAT 110A - Math and Quantitative Reasonings (3 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Friday 11:00am-11:50am, Wednesday 1:00pm-1:50pm :::
> 
> CSE 101C - Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (3 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Tuesday 9:00am-9:50am :::
> 
> CSE 102 LA - Intro. to Programming Lab (1 credit)  
>  ::: Thursday 9:00am-11:50am :::
> 
> PSY 101A - Introduction to Psychology (4 credits)  
>  ::: Tuesday 10:00am-10:50am, Thursday 8:00am-8:50am, Friday 9:00am-9:50am :::
> 
> PED 200DA - Ballroom Dancing  
>  ::: Tuesday 1:00pm-2:40pm :::

Bambi's lips twisted into a confused, yet amused smile at the last class. From the looks of it, it was the only elective that fit into Light's schedule—unless, of course, Light had some odd hobby that she didn't pick up on during the Yagami surveillance. She snickered at the thought.

L spoke again, drawing the brunette out of her thoughts. "We'll do your schedule first."

She acknowledged his orders and opened a regular internet browser before using her new To-Oh login.

As she opened the registration page, L instructed her, "Declare your major in Psychology."

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows lightly before saying, "Shouldn't we pick a major that would put me in more classes with him?"

He blankly stared at the teen as he replied, "I'll major in Criminal Justice to cover his core classes. I don't want Light to associate the two of us, so you and I can't have classes together."

"Yeah, but wouldn't he be less suspicious of you if you were the Psychology major?" She suggested. "He's already talked to me in the past and I'm pretty sure that he doesn't see me as a threat. Besides, I'm already logged in. Why don't I just major in Criminal Justice?"

Bambi waited, brown eyes trained on L's face as he contemplated his response.

After a few moments, he finally spoke. "I plan to reveal myself to him at the opening ceremony."

She raised an eyebrow before smiling and letting out a small chuckle. "You can't be serious." The serious expression on his face said otherwise and she frowned. "Wait, you _are_ serious?!" She gaped at him before furrowing her eyebrows. "No offense, Ryuzaki, but that's a terrible idea. If Light really is Kira, then he could kill you! What good would that do anybody?"

"My decision is final, Bambi," he sternly countered.

The brunette opened her mouth to argue again, but she found no appropriate words. After a few moments of trying, she gave up and tightened her lips into a frown.

As Bambi changed her major from Undecided to Psychology, L spoke up again. "He shouldn't be able to kill me without my real name. If he tries to kill me as Hideki Ryuga, he'll likely kill the pop star. Even if he does somehow manage get my real name and kill me, you will be the first to know and it will be your responsibility to apprehend him at school."

The young woman's expression remained the same and she made no efforts to respond to him.

L sighed at her stubbornness. "This is for your own safety too. I'm willing to risk my life this much, but you've been through enough."

Bambi sighed and looked down before offering a defeated, "I appreciate the consideration and I understand your reasons. I'll do as you say, but I still don't think that it's safe."

L put a hand on her shoulder, directing her attention to him. He smiled, clearly grateful for her cooperation. As he removed his hand, they both returned their attention to the registration cart and Bambi signed up for her core courses:

> PSY 101A - Introduction to Psychology (4 credits)  
>  ::: Tuesday 10:00am-10:50am, Thursday 8:00am-8:50am, Friday 9:00am-9:50am :::
> 
> CSE 101C - Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (3 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Tuesday 9:00am-9:50am :::
> 
> CSE 101 LA - Intro. to Programming Lab (1 credit)  
>  ::: Thursday 9:00am-11:50am :::
> 
> MAT 140 - Introduction to Statistics (3 credits)  
>  ::: Online :::

After registering for the classes, L pointed out, "You're one credit short of full time. Sign up for the elective that he's taking."

"You mean the dancing one?"

"Yes."

Bambi followed to his orders and enrolled in Light's Ballroom Dancing class. _Well,_ she thought, _I guess this could be fun._

With her new schedule finalized, the teen logged out and allowed L to log in. As he changed his major from Undeclared to Criminal Justice, Bambi mentally reviewed Light's schedule in comparison to her own. There were only three classes left to fill, each were core courses of the Criminal Justice curriculum.

As she thought, L signed up for four courses:

> CJS 101B - Introduction to the Japanese Criminal Justice System (4 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00am-8:50am :::
> 
> COR 101E - Introduction to Corrections (4 credits)  
>  ::: Monday 1:00pm-1:50pm, Wednesday 10:00am-10:50am, Friday 12:00pm-12:50pm :::
> 
> MAT 110A - Math and Quantitative Reasonings (3 credits)  
>  ::: Monday, Friday 11:00am-11:50am, Wednesday 1:00pm-1:50pm :::
> 
> ENG 210 - English Language Studies (3 credits)  
>  ::: Online :::

After he hit enter to finalize his schedule, an error message appeared on the screen.

> "MAT 110A full, no longer available."

A moment of silence fell between the two detectives before L spoke up, irritation clear in his voice. "Would it be possible to hack the system and place me in the class?"

"Possible? Yes," Bambi answered. "Good idea? Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I can get you in with ease, but there are a few issues," she explained. "First, they cap classes by the amount of seats they have in a room. If I add you in, someone is going to be left standing. Second, the list of enrolled students is ordered by time and there's no way around that. Since you didn't go through the Registrar, your name being at the bottom of the list will set off some red flags."

"I see," he put his thumb to his lip.

After a few minutes of contemplation, L spoke his mind. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to sign up for another section of that course for now. I'll contact the Registrar when I can."

With a few strokes of the keyboard, he finished his schedule for now.

"If I can't switch, I'll just show up for the exams. I have better things to do." He mumbled to himself.

After logging out and shutting down her laptop, L addressed the hacker. "There is one more thing we have to do to prepare for To-Oh."

Bambi raised an eyebrow. "Is there?"

"We will need separate modes of transportation," he told her. "I'll pay for whatever you want, no matter how expensive."

Her eyes widened momentarily. _Did he really just say that?_ She refrained from responding for a few moments as she tried to determine his reason. Unable to think of one, she cautiously asked, "Why?"

L waited for a moment, onyx eyes boring into Bambi's brown ones before he finally responded, "It's to ensure your safety, and... this is also to apologize for being what ultimately caused your kidnapping."

Bambi frowned slightly. "Oh..." _The guilt must be killing him if he's admitting this._ After a moment of silence, she smiled softly and spoke up again. "Thanks for looking out for me, Ryuzaki."

L briefly acknowledged her thanks before beginning. "Would you prefer your own motorized transportation or something more environmentally friendly?"

Her eyes lit up as a huge smile came to her face. "Can I drive?"

"I said you could do whatever you wanted." L stood. "I'll have Watari take you to a dealership, then."

Bambi followed him out of the room and back to the suite that held Headquarters. L instructed her to wait by the door while he motioned for Watari to come over. Once the veteran approached the two of them, L informed him of the hacker's. She then followed Watari out of the room, down the elevator, and to his car in the parking garage.

After about an hour of driving she saw a road sign with the words 'Autoland next exit.'

As Watari took the exit, she saw it ahead of her. This was, by far, the biggest car dealership that Bambi had ever seen in her life. It could practically be its own small city!

The teen's eyes went wide as she asked, "This is one dealership?"

Watari parked his car in a parking lot labeled 'Customers.' After shutting off the car, he unlocked the doors, letting Bambi out. She silently followed the old man to what appeared to be the main lobby. As she gawked at the scale of the building, a man approached the pair. He wore a Western-styled suit and had his black hair neatly combed back. He smiled as he reached them.

The man's speech was rapid as he greeted them. "Hey, how ya doing? The name's Varrick, I'm a salesmen here. Welcome to Autoland. What's your name, miss?"

A smile creeped its way onto Bambi's lips before she responded to each of his statements. "Good. Nice to meet you. Thanks. And, I'm Emily."

"Emily, huh?" He vigorously shook her hand. "Nice to meet ya! Where are you from? United States? Mexico? You've got a lovely accent. Nice and classy. I went to school in the States back in the day. Very enthusiastic over there." The salesman let go of her hand and waltzed over to Watari before shaking his hand. "What's your name, sir?"

As Watari returned the handshake, he said, "You can call me Walter. I'm here to purchase a vehicle for my granddaughter."

"Great!" Varrick turned to the teen. "So, what can I get for you, Em? Do you mind if I call you that?" He put an arm around her shoulder and began to walk her through the showroom. "We modeled this building after those big American dealerships." He waved his arm out dramatically. "So, Em, what kind of vehicle are you looking for? Big one? Little one? We've got the largest selection of cars and motorbikes this side of the Pacific."

"Uh," Bambi mumbled before smiling sheepishly. "I haven't actually thought about that yet."

After looking at the brunette expectantly and being the quietest that he has been since he walked up to her, Varrick spoke up again. "Lets make this simple, Em. Do you want two wheels or four? I can get you a big six-wheeled Mercedes if you have a few million bucks to spend." He laughed.

"Well," she looked to Watari. "This is a personal vehicle, right?"

The inventor nodded.

"Okay," she pursed her lips as she thought. _There are already a lot of cars at Headquarters already, and if I need a car I can buy one at home. Right now, being in a city, something smaller would be more convenient—and more fun._ The corners of her lips curled upward into a Cheshire-like smile. "I'll take something with two wheels."

The salesman clapped his hands together and enthusiastically exclaimed, "Great! Motorcycle it is!" He then called out into the showroom, "Lee, get the thing!"

As Bambi looked over to the direction that Varrick called out to, she heard a meek voice answer, "Yes, sir!"

The reply was shortly followed by the sounds of something metallic being knocked over and a motor starting.

After a few moments, the teen saw a young man with big, round glasses driving a golf cart toward her small group. He stopped in front of them and haphazardly threw it into park before jumping out of the seat.

"Here you are, sir," the young man gestured to the golf cart.

"Great work, Lee!" The salesman patted him on the head before getting into the driver's seat and looking at his customers. "Alright, you two. Get in. Golf carts are the fastest way to show you everything."

Bambi stifled laughing at the odd salesman's antics before joining him in the golf cart. Once she was seated with her cane on her lap, Watari took the seat behind her. Then, Varrick took the golf cart out of park and drove off to the right.

As he drove, the salesman addressed Bambi. "I can tell that you're gonna love our selection, but first, we've gotta figure out which type of motorcycle is best for you. Oh, here we are!" He stopped the golf cart in front of a display of several types of motorcycles.

While Bambi and Watari were getting out of the golf cart, Varrick continued. "So, what'll you be using your ride for, Em? That'll be the easiest way to narrow it down."

"It's pretty much just going to be used for city commuting," the teen told him.

"Commuting, huh? Let's see." The salesman scrutinized the display. "Well, the Standard and Cruiser are probably going to be the easiest to use in the city." He pointed to the smallest motorcycle and one that was slightly wider, with the seat set back further. "The Sport motorcycle would be good for weaving through traffic." He then leaned in and whispered, "You didn't hear that from me, though." He coughed and adjusted his tie before adding, "Oh, and then there's the Moped if you're really not going outside of the city. It's all the rage in places like Italy, but you can't legally drive it faster than thirty kilometers per hour. You can still go over double that in an emergency, though." He then pointed at her. "You didn't hear that from me either."

She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "Got it."

"So," Varrick clapped his hands together. "What do you say, Em? Which bike is the bike for you?"

Bambi thought for a moment as she mentally reviewed his descriptions, her eyes scanning across the displayed examples. With her gaze lingering on the one to the far right, she had made her decision.

A toothy smile rose to her face as she admitted, "I'm loving the style of the moped."

"Great choice, Em! That's my personal favorite," the salesman beamed as he led the pair back to the golf cart.

After driving them to the large selection of mopeds, Varrick addressed the teen again. "All you have to do now is choose which one of these babies you're taking home with you, Em. Each one comes with a helmet and an extra carrier for luggage."

The brunette got out of the golf cart and started to walk around. She wasn't quite sure how long she was browsing the different designs, but she finally found one that she really liked. The body was mainly a sparkling teal with silver detailing and a white seat. She smiled as she turned and informed Varrick and Watari of her decision.

"Nice choice, Em! The colors suit you," the salesman told her. "I bet that we've got helmets matching that design."

Bambi's grin grew. "Sweet!"

Sure enough, there were two helmets left that matched. Thankfully, one of them fit the teen.

Watari handled the paperwork as the hacker contained her excitement in the chair next to him. Once everything was settled, Varrick handed Bambi the keys. She rushed out to her new moped, keys in hand, as giddy as a child on Christmas day. She carefully attached the luggage container to the back before strapping on her helmet. The brunette sat down on the pristine seat and carefully inserted the key into the ignition. The engine purred as she turned the key, sending shivers down her spine. _My very own moped._ Once Watari returned to his car with her cane and started it, Bambi followed him out of the parking lot and onto the road back to headquarters, completely ignoring the speed restrictions in favor of getting back soon.


	17. Surprise

*** * * March 3 * * ***

The moon was high above Tokyo as the Kira Task Force worked away in their newest headquarters. Aizawa had just relieved Soichiro of his work and was approaching Matsuda and L at the couch. Near was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room as he tried to analyze the newest data to see if he could pinpoint Kira to a specific town in the region. Nearby, Mello was sitting at a table as he dug through the cases that Matt's and Bambi's program had identified as likely Kira murders. His best friend had just stood and approached the door to one of the bedrooms in the suite.

Matt opened the door just enough to peak his face into the dark room and look around. Inside, the redhead saw Bambi sound asleep under the covers. He smiled and quietly closed the door before crossing the suite to the brunette's partner.

"Hey, Near," the hacker began. "What does Bambi usually do on her birthday?"

The white-haired teen twirled his hair as he answered, "She would always talk to her friends for a few hours." After a moment he added, "Last year she planned to visit them, but our case got in the way."

Matt frowned and asked, "Has she ever been home since she started working with you?"

"No."

The redhead frowned and put a hand to his chin as he cast a gaze toward the bedroom door. _This birthday might be a bit hard on her, then._ A few moments passed as he concocted a plan to cheer up his friend on her special day.

His lips curved into a smile as he turned to Mello. "I've got it! We should throw her a little party."

The blond furrowed his eyebrows. "How do you even know when it is anyway?"

Matt smiled sheepishly. "The same way I know about Robin Hood. So, are you in or not?"

Mello shrugged his shoulders. "Sure."

"I want to help too!"

The trio of geniuses turned to see Matsuda raising his hand and smiling at the group.

Matt smiled back at him, "Cool, you can get-"

"We should be working on the case, not slacking off," Aizawa interrupted.

"Aw, come on," the hacker pouted. "It'll just be a little party with some cake. It's not gonna make a difference with how slow things have been going anyway."

This time L addressed the group. "What kind of cake will it be?"

Matt smiled at the detective's apparent approval, though Aizawa gritted his teeth and returned to his work.

Near chimed in, "She likes vanilla and caramel."

L grinned hungrily before turning to face the old man at the door. "Watari."

The veteran nodded before pulling out his cellphone and calling a nearby bakery to place the order.

Matt beamed excitedly before addressing Mello and Matsuda. "I'll keep her out of headquarters while you guys set up."

"What about a gift?" Matsuda asked.

"I've got something in mind," the redhead admitted.

 

****

*** * * March 15 * * ***

It was late in the morning, the sun bathing headquarters in a warm glow as its inhabitants worked away. Watari had left a few minutes ago to run some errands and buy groceries for the group that never returns home. The geniuses of the Wammy Teams were gathered around the dining room table as they weeded through Kira's newest possible victims and tried to identify patterns in the killings. Matt and Bambi were also making edits to the program as they worked, doing their best to make it as accurate as possible. The brunette's mood was noticeably diminished, though she did her best to keep a smile. The group was mostly silent until they were approached by L.

"I have decided that it would be beneficial to the investigation to have more powerful computers," the great detective confessed before turning to the two computer geniuses. "I want the both of you to go out and purchase the parts you deem best."

Bambi raised an eyebrow before turning to the redhead next to her. It was really up to him since they would have to take his car to be able to bring everything back in one trip.

He smiled at her before looking up at L. "Sure, we'll be back in a few hours."

L smiled and nodded before returning to the couch where Matsuda was sitting. Bambi made sure to save the program before shutting down her laptop and returning it to her suitcase. When she returned to the main room of the suite Matt was waiting for her, keys in hand.

"Ready?" He asked as he crooked his elbow, offering his arm.

The brunette cracked a real smile as a short laugh escaped her lips. "Off to see the wizard?"

"Yeah, sure." The redhead smiled as Bambi walked up to him and jokingly linked arms. "You get to be Dorothy and I'll be the tin man or something."

After stepping into the hallway, Matt dragged her into a dramatic skip. She laughed and smiled as they made fools of themselves all the way to the elevator.

~o~

The pair of hackers had been at the store for about an hour as they discussed their preferences and tried to decide on the best parts for the Task Force's new computer. Matt held a basket containing the parts that they had already chosen for the motherboard as he stood next to Bambi in front of a selection of pricey microprocessors. The brunette pursed her lips as she looked over the options.

She pointed to one to the far left. "From what I remember, this company's pretty good. I haven't had problems with them in the past."

Matt cringed. "I don't think that one's such a good idea. I had one in my last gaming PC and it's nowhere near as good as they advertised. It crashed a lot too."

"Well, that's disappointing. I haven't used them since my first laptop," she told him. "It's a shame to see the quality drop like that."

"Yeah," he agreed as he looked over the rest of the options. "I don't know about you, but I think all of these are gonna suck."

The brunette took a final look over the microprocessors before sighing. "I think we're going to have to order one online."

Matt nodded. "Well, I guess that's about all we can get today." He looked to the side before adding, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna grab a fan and some screen cleaner."

"Okay. I'm going to ask if we can order a microprocessor through the store," Bambi told him before heading in the opposite direction and toward a worker.

After a short conversation with the person at the counter, she discovered that ordering to the store would not be an option. She frowned as she tried to think of an alternative. _Maybe we could use my fake address in Canada._ She turned to approach Matt down the aisle.

"Emily? Is that you?"

She froze, eyes wide at the sound of the familiar voice. _Why would he be here of all places?_ A moment passed before she calmed herself and turned to face the speaker with a smile.

"Light?"

The Kira suspect smiled warmly at the brunette as he nodded. "I'm glad to see that your ankle has healed."

A nervous laugh escaped Bambi's lips as she instinctively glanced down. "You and me both."

"Hey, Bambi. What do you think of-" Matt caught himself when he noticed Light standing next to his friend, both of them looking at him. "Whoops, sorry about that. I thought you were someone else."

She watched as Matt walked over to the counter to pay for the parts, though he was clearly keeping an eye on Bambi as he pulled out his phone.

"So, have you heard back from To-Oh yet?" Light asked, drawing her attention back to him.

Bambi smiled as she told him, "Yeah, I was accepted. What about you?"

His smile grew. "I've been accepted too. Have you made your schedule yet? Maybe we have classes together."

She watched Matt leave out of the corner of her eye as she told Light, "No, not yet. I-"

Her phone began to ring.

Bambi smiled awkwardly. "Could you excuse me for a second?"

The hacker walked away to answer her phone. "Hello?"

"Bambi, you alright? Matt told me what happened," Mello's voice rang through on the other end.

"Yeah," she said, opting for something short that won't make Light suspicious should he be listening.

"Is he still there?"

"Yes."

There was a pause before he told her, "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Okay."

They bid short goodbye's before hanging up. As Bambi returned to Light she tried to recall the name that Mello had used back in January.

"Sorry about that, my friend just wanted to tell me that he'll be picking me up in a bit."

He raised an eyebrow. "Takeshi, right?"

_Oh yeah._ She smiled. "Right."

He nodded, almost to himself. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm just browsing. Takeshi's computer keeps crashing," Bambi told him. "Why are you here?"

"My parents are getting Sayu a laptop for her grades and because she's entering high school," Light explained. "My mom sent me because she doesn't know anything about computers. I don't know as much about them as she thinks, though." He laughed.

I shouldn't, but... The hacker smiled at him as she offered, "I could help you pick something before I go."

"I would appreciate it," he told her.

After going over his budget and what Sayu would primarily be using the laptop for, Bambi led him around the store to each of the main parts he'll need to build one. As the hacker explained the importance of each piece and showed him which would be best for his budget, she felt her mood lift immensely. Time passed almost too quickly, because before she knew it, Mello had pulled up in front of the store on his motorcycle.

Upon noticing the blond, Bambi turned to Light. "I've gotta go. I'll see you at school."

"Goodbye," he responded. "Thanks for helping me out today."

"It's no problem."

The brunette then turned and exited the building, though she could still feel his eyes on her back. She crossed the sidewalk to Mello, who was standing in front of his motorcycle with her helmet in his hands.

"Thanks," Bambi said as she reached out for it.

Before she could grab it, Mello lifted the helmet and pulled it down on her head. The brunette froze, dumbfounded. When he reached for her chin strap, she narrowed her eyes at him and swatted his hands away.

"I could have just done it myself," she grumbled as she fastened the strap.

Bambi heard him huff as he turned and mounted the motorcycle. She waited for a moment before climbing on behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. The teen took one last glance toward the store where Light was watching her before Mello started the engine and pulled away. She tucked her exposed face behind his back as he flew in and out of traffic toward headquarters.

It took about twenty minutes for the pair to return to the hotel and park in the parking garage. By the time they made it to the elevator, Bambi's mood had returned to the same gloomy state as earlier. Both teens were silent on the way up, though it seemed as if Mello was holding his tongue. When they reached the top floor and stepped into the hallway the blond hurried to the suite, looking back only once.

The brunette was sluggish as she made her way to the door that Mello had just disappeared behind. When she finally reached the door, she stopped and sighed. Bambi took a moment to try to collect herself before opening the door. She raised an eyebrow at the sight on the other side. No one was there. Not only that, but when the teen looked down she saw pieces of yellow craft paper taped to the carpet, forming a path into the kitchen.

Bambi closed the door behind her before looking back down at the path where she noticed crudely written instructions: 'follow me'. She looked back up to the empty main room and over to the kitchen door. For a brief moment she noted the significance of the day, though it was quickly cast aside. _Near would never do something like that._ Still, curiosity got the better of the hacker and she followed the path. She hesitated for only a moment before opening the kitchen door.

A collection of voices called out, "Happy birthday!"

Bambi's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. Near and L were sitting at a table in the middle of the kitchen where a cake decorated with lit candles was sitting. Watari, Matsuda, and Mogi were standing behind the pair, smiling, though Matsuda was much more animated than the other two. Matt and Mello were standing on either side of the table, grinning at the birthday girl.

She remained where she stood, glued to the floor in utter shock. Matt walked over to her and put a hand on her back before holding onto her hand and leading her to the empty seat in front of the table.

"Make a wish," Matsuda told the teen as he pushed the cake toward her.

Bambi pursed her lips as she smiled and tried to fight back tears. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and blew out the candles. Watari took over from there, removing the candles and starting to cut the cake. As she watched the veteran hand out pieces of cake, the brunette felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Matt extending a wrapped box toward her. She hesitantly took the box as Mello and Matt sat down and Matsuda stood behind them.

The young woman returned her attention to the gift as she carefully unwrapped it and removed the lid, revealing a pair of white goggles and a matching scarf. Her lips curved into a soft smile as she took them out of the box.

"They match the detailing on your moped," Matt pointed out. "I thought it would complete the look."

"I picked out the scarf," Matsuda proudly informed her. "Everything else was Matt's idea, though."

Mello commented, "Way to pick a lame gift."

"Hey, goggles are cool," the redhead said as he adjusted the pair on his head.

Bambi laughed at her two friends before smiling at Matt and Matsuda. "I love it. Thanks, guys."

The blond groaned and rubbed his temple. "I should have seen that coming. You guys are dorks."

"You know you love us," Matt teased.

Mello smiled and rolled his eyes before getting up to return to the main room of the suite.

He stopped to say, "Happy birthday, Bambi."

"Thanks."

After all the cake was handed out, L announced that everyone should get back to work. One by one, the investigators returned to their stations. First was L, then Mogi with a short 'happy birthday' on his way out. Near left shortly after that, sending a small smile toward his partner. Matsuda glanced to Matt after finishing his cake before standing.

On his way out, the Japanese detective placed a hand on Bambi's shoulder. "I hope you had a happy birthday."

"Thank you, Matsuda," the teen quietly answered as she looked up at him.

Bambi remained sitting quietly next to Matt, looking down at the crumbs on her plate as she smiled softly to herself and listened to the redhead describe how the whole party came together. As his story went on, her vision was blurred by tears. Near the end of his story, he stopped and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, a small frown present on his face. "I know things have been rough lately, but you shouldn't be sad on a day like this."

A genuine laugh escaped her lips as she wiped her tears. "Sorry. No, I'm actually really happy. I haven't had a real birthday like that in a long time." She smiled warmly at him. "Thank you."

Matt caught her smile and returned it. "You're welcome."


	18. Let the Games Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out this amazing [fanart](http://oi62.tinypic.com/257kles.jpg) drawn by Quotev user petitpiano. It looks almost exactly how I picture Bambi, so I'm really excited about it. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the chapter!

*** * * April 4 * * ***

The sun was beginning its final dip below the horizon on this cool spring day. Rather than watching the scenery, the members of the Task Force diligently worked away in the newest suite to hold the headquarters. Bambi was sitting at the dining room table next to Matt as she focused on her laptop screen. The pair of hackers was working on the finishing touches on the program that would complete Bambi's online statistics course for her.

As a final test, the brunette input the address of a webpage filled with statistics problems and let the program work through each of them. The output of each of the 50 questions came less than a minute later. As she compared the program's results to the given answers, she smiled. The program got all 50 correct.

Bambi nudged the redhead next to her. "Hey, thanks for helping out again. It would have taken forever if I had to write the functions too."

"No problem." Matt mirrored her smile and nudged her back. "Two heads are better than one, right?"

A short chuckle escaped her lips. "Right."

Bambi heard the sounds of someone shuffling into the room before a new voice interrupted the hackers' conversation.

"I need you two to come with me," the masculine voice began. "We need to discuss something."

The teens turned to find L hunched over across the table.

"Sure, just a sec," Bambi said as Matt stood.

She checked to make sure that their program had saved properly before shutting down her laptop. The hackers followed L out of the kitchen, past the Task Force members in the main room, and into the large bedroom. Inside the bedroom, Near was sitting on the floor as he fiddled with a toy robot. On the other side of the room, Mello leaned against the bed, arms crossed as he refused to look at his younger rival. As the newcomers walked into the bedroom, L shut the door behind them. Matt immediately sat down on the bed near his friend while Bambi leaned against the drawers.

The younger prodigies looked over to L and waited for him to begin as his eyes surveyed the group.

A few moments passed before the renowned detective spoke. "As you already know, I plan to reveal myself to Light Yagami at the entrance ceremony tomorrow."

The group remained silent as L paused.

"I have decided to invite him to join the Task Force," he informed them.

Matt shrugged in acceptance, but his best friend was less than approving of the idea.

"What?!" Mello cried out. "What good will that do?"

Near twirled a lock of hair around his finger as he explained, "Criminals as smart as Kira like to get involved with the investigation to see how well they are avoiding suspicion and to direct suspicion to whoever they please."

L's dark eyes bored into Bambi's brown ones as he awaited her opinion.

She scrunched her nose before asking, "What if he says yes? If he sees me, Mello, or even Matt here, it'll blow my cover."

"I'm aware," he answered before addressing the group as a whole. "In addition to what Near said, having Light on the case will also make it easier to watch him until he slips up."

He then looked over to the blond, whose lips were tightly pressed together as he looked down. A few moments passed before Mello grudgingly agreed.

Following the chocolate lover's submission, L continued. "If Light joins the Task Force, the four of you are not allowed to be present while he is here."

This time Matt spoke up. "Are you gonna keep us in another room, then?"

"No, I have a rental house already set up if he agrees."

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, why does Near have to come too? Light won't be able to connect him to me since he's always at headquarters."

"Originally, I was only going to send you and Mello away, because Light had already met both of you. When you and Matt ran into him, I realized that he needed to leave too," the head detective admitted. "I have decided that it would be best if all four of you were unknown to Light, because if he turns out to be Kira and somehow manages to kill myself and the rest of the Task Force, I trust the four of you to gather the evidence and bring him to justice."

The room was left in a heavy silence as L's statement reminded Bambi just how perilous this case – and her mission – would become tomorrow. She had managed to keep the harsh truth from the forefront of her mind, but it was a fact that she had to face. _I have to treat this as if Light is Kira. If I screw up and it turns out that he really is, I'm as good as dead._

A bitter frown settled on the hacker's lips as she found her gaze pointed downward. She had never meant to get involved in such a dangerous career, investigating or not. She was only there because she decided that signing that contract with L would be better than jail, but now she found herself wondering if it was really the better option. After a moment, the teen looked back up to the occupants of the room. L dismissed the Wammy Teams to return to their work, and her three peers stood. Matt and Mello were discussing the minutia of L's plan as they walked out, and Near was as silent as ever.

A small smile rose to Bambi's lips as she came to her conclusion. If nothing else, I'm glad to have met everyone. She turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand. Looking back, the teen saw L standing there.

"What is it?" she asked.

He pulled a bony hand out of his pocket and opened it, revealing what appeared to be a small, transparent earplug. The brunette raised a curious eyebrow as L pinched the sides of the device and held it out for her.

As she carefully took it from his grasp, the head detective explained, "This is a listening device that was designed by Watari. I want you to use it tomorrow during the entrance ceremony and listen for when I reveal myself to Light. Then, I want you to observe his reaction. I plan to tell him after making our speeches."

She nodded, her expression serious. "You can count on me."

*** * * April 5 * * ***

As Bambi walked through the gates of To-Oh University, she found herself in a beautiful open space between buildings. She stopped in the middle of it all to take out her map of the campus, but that didn't stop the crowds. People easily weaved around her as if they were a river flowing over a small rock.

Nearly everyone was dressed formally, presumably for the big entrance ceremony that would be greeting the new students. From what she could tell, even the upperclassmen were dressed for the occasion as they led small groups of freshmen on tours of the facilities. The foreigner had to run out the week prior to purchase appropriate clothes, but she blended in nicely with her khaki pants and a pink blouse.

As Bambi stuck her nose into her map, she searched around for the main gymnasium which would be holding the entrance ceremony in a short time. After a few moments of searching, she located the gym on the map. Apparently she was on the completely wrong side of the campus. The teen smiled and let out a quick snort as she noted, _I'll have to head there soon if I want to be able to see Light and L._ As she folded the map and returned it to her bag, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Emily Stone, is that you?"

Bambi looked up from her task to see Light Yagami approaching her with a smile. He wore a tan, Western-styled suit.

"It's good to see you again," he said as he reached the brunette.

She smiled politely at him as she greeted, "You too." After a moment, she added, "Hey, you're our freshmen representative, right?"

His smile faltered for a beat before he admitted, "I'm one of them. Someone else also got a perfect score." Light smirked at the brunette as he added, "Though, I heard that it was almost a three-way tie with foreign student from Canada. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"

"Yeah..." She put a hand behind her neck as she smiled sheepishly. "I probably would have done better if I had brushed up a little more on my Japanese math lingo."

"I could help you with that, if you want," he offered.

"Nah, I've got it down now."

Light nodded before asking, "So what's the major of the number-two student in the class?"

"Psychology."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "Not Computer Science?"

Bambi's smile faltered for a moment. "That's more of a hobby than something I want to do for a living."

"I see." He paused for a moment before smiling again. "Well, if you're a Psychology major, we might be in a few classes together. I'm a Criminal Justice major." As he reached into his breast pocket he asked, "Do you have your schedule with you right now?"

"Yes, it's right here," Bambi told him as she reached into her bag and pulled out another folded sheet of paper.

Once the two of them unfolded their schedules, they compared them side by side.

"It's not surprising that we have Psychology together," Light noted. "We're even in the same Computer Science class. I'm surprised."

"I've only dabbled in coding," the hacker calmly answered. "I just taught myself about building computers because the family computer was really slow and it drove me nuts."

"Impressive." At the next similarity, a small chuckle escaped his lips. "I never would have expected to end up in the same elective as you, Emily. What made you take it?"

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled, "I thought it could be fun. I've never taken a dance class back home, and I wanted to try something new."

Light smiled as he admitted, "Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to the class, but maybe it won't be so bad after all." The young man then checked his watch. "We should probably head to the ceremony if you want to get a good seat."

The two of them then silently traversed the campus to the main gym. They both showed their campus IDs to the volunteers before they were allowed inside. Once there, Bambi saw hundreds of chairs lined up in front of a large stage. Not many seats were taken, but students were arriving in increasing numbers. She followed Light as he walked to the front row before taking a seat next to him.

The pair made small talk as more students and faculty members poured into the room, filling the seats. Just when the front row was beginning to fill up, Bambi caught a glimpse of L approaching her, dressed in his casual clothes with a pair of shoes slipped on. She did her best to ignore the man as he sat down on the other side of Light.

Shortly after that, a tall, important-looking man made his way to the podium and cleared his throat. "I am Dr. Kenji Sato, president of To-Oh University. On behalf of the University, I would like to welcome the new students this year. May your next four years be as prosperous as my own years as a To-Oh student."

The crowd applauded for a few moments before President Sato continued his welcome speech. Bambi inwardly groaned about how boring this ceremony would be before trying to pay attention and be ready for Light's and L's speeches. After long speeches from President Sato and the president of the Student Council, the president of the University briefly took the podium again.

"And now a few words from the freshmen representatives, Light Yagami and Hideki Ryuga."

Bambi watched carefully as Light stood and strode to the podium, followed closely by L. Although she tried to pay attention to Light's movements, she found herself eavesdropping on a conversation behind her. Three boys were comparing the two representatives while the brunet was reciting his speech. As Light finished up and L pulled a wrinkled sheet of paper out of his pocket, the conversation behind the hacker changed to a subject that caught her full attention.

"I heard that a foreign girl was almost in a three-way tie with them," one said.

"Yeah, I saw her talking to Yagami earlier. I think it's that girl up there," the second boy hushed his voice even further.

A third teen butted in. "I saw her and Yagami together after the exams."

"Maybe they're dating?" the second man asked.

"I hope not," said the first. "She's kinda cute."

"Hey, it'd be better that way," the third chimed in again. "There'll be more ladies to go around for us if Yagami's taken."

An amused chortle escaped Bambi's lips as she shook her head at their incessant gossiping. _They sound like a bunch of old ladies._ At the sound of applause, she quickly focused her attention onto the podium. The teen ignored the voice of the announcer as L followed Light off the stage, instead listening to the device concealed in her ear.

"Yagami," L began.

Bambi watched as Light's eyebrows furrowed slightly when the other representative brought up the Kira case. Despite this, the brunet told L that he could trust him with critical information about the case.

The young woman remained still and focused on Light as the detective leaned into his ear and whispered, "I am L."

Light hesitated to take a step the moment after the reveal and his eyes widened. He was clearly shocked, but there was something else about his expression that Bambi couldn't quite pinpoint. _Maybe fear?_ As the pair continued to walk down the steps, she took note that Light's foot was shaking when it wasn't on the ground, something that he hadn't done before. He then turned around and shook L's hand, admitting that he was a fan of the detective before they returned to their seats.

Once the ceremony was over, the students poured out the doors and to the dining hall. Light remained tense as he stood, his mood clearly foul – if his narrowed eyes and tightened lips were anything to go by.

L had already left in the other direction when Light quickly addressed Bambi. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Before she could say much more than a short goodbye, he had already vacated the gymnasium.

Since the young woman had to wait at least half an hour after L left before being allowed to return to Headquarters, she wandered the campus and took a seat on a bench in front of a water fountain. As she sat there watching the water flow, she began to analyze the observations that she had made earlier. _He was definitely surprised by the news. Though, I'm not sure if that's because of how random it must have felt or because he really is Kira._ A small smile came to her lips. _Even when L caught me I was a bit surprised when he told me over the speaker, and I was well-aware of his investigation._ She frowned. _Shock aside, he was definitely nervous._

When the time had finally passed, Bambi stood and returned to where she parked her moped. After putting on her helmet and strapping on her goggles, she sped off toward headquarters.

*** * * April 7 * * ***

Recent pressure changes in the weather was making Bambi's ankle hurt again. Doctor Ono had warned her about this possibility, even though the bones had already healed. Despite this, the teen tried to walk on her own yesterday. Today, she decided that it wasn't worth the pain, so she carried a cane with her.

L hadn't given the young woman specific instructions for her mission, so she assumed free reign to pick the best methods possible. She recently decided to study psychology with Light weekly to help determine if his personality is actually like Kira's. Psychology had just ended, and Bambi and Light were planning to go to a nearby café to study. He held the door for her as she carefully maneuvered her way out of the building.

After thanking him, she told him, "I'm looking forward to the criminology unit."

"The project looks like it could be interesting depending on who you're assigned," he admitted.

_Perfect._ The brunette raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean? Is there a specific criminal you're hoping for?"

"Well-"

"There you are, Yagami," a calm voice interrupted.

The pair halted and turned around to see L approaching the two of them, tennis racket in hand.

"Emily, let me introduce you to Hideki Ryuga," Light gestured to L as a hint of animosity twinkled in his eyes. "He's the student who tied with me." He then gestured to Bambi. "Ryuga, this is Emily Stone. She's the student who almost tied with us."

L looked over to her with a slight frown present on his face. "It's nice to meet you, Emily."

"You too," she nodded.

L turned his attention to the suspect. "What do you say to a friendly game of tennis?"

Bambi raised an eyebrow as she looked over to Light. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, but this reaction was only momentary.

The student prodigy smiled at his challenger. "Alright, I'll play you." He then turned to face his companion. "Emily, would you like to watch the match? We can study after that."

She opened her mouth to respond, but L beat her to it, a hint of annoyance clear in his voice. "Don't you have somewhere else you could be, _Miss Stone?"_

Bambi's eyebrows furrowed immediately as she sent a sharp glare in his direction. _Not with that tone, I don't._

"Emily and I had plans to study before you challenged me," Light defended. "We can do that after the match, but she has the right to stay and watch."

Both geniuses looked to the brunette awaiting her answer.

A grand smirk creeped onto her lips. "You know what? I'd really like to see this match."

L narrowed his eyes at her for a few moments before grumbling, "Fine."

Bambi followed the pair to the gym and waited outside as Light changed into sport-appropriate attire. When he emerged from the room in a pair of shorts, sneakers, and a polo, the trio walked to the tennis court. The hacker walked slightly behind L and Light due to her weakened pace as she listened to them converse.

"Just a friendly match, Ryuga?" Light asked as the three of them entered the court. "I should warn you, I have some tennis experience."

"No worries, Yagami. I placed first in England's Junior Tennis Championships," L bragged.

Bambi glanced back to the pair as she continued to the referee's chair on the sidelines near the net. The two men conversed a bit longer before L traversed the court to the other side. The injured teen sat on a step that led to up the chair, carefully relieving her ankle as she waited for the match to begin. After the players agreed to play to six, L ferociously served the ball across the court, taking both younger students by surprise as the tennis ball flew past Light, earning L a point.

_I still can't believe how strong he is,_ Bambi thought as he whipped the ball across the court again and scored a second point. _It's so unnatural for someone who eats nothing healthy and never sleeps._ Light stepped up his game, scoring two more points, though not without difficulty. With another look to L's determined expression, the brunette wondered, _What could he possibly hope to gain from this match? All it will show is that Light's competitive, but that was a given by his grades alone._ Light scored a third time, taking the lead for the first time this match.

Before she knew it, dozens of people had gathered outside the tennis court eagerly watching the match. As Bambi observed Light's body language, she couldn't help but overhear two girls conversing on the other side of the fence.

"Who's that girl in there with them?" A meek-sounding girl asked.

"You mean you don't know?" A more confident woman replied. "That's Emily Stone, the Canadian student who almost tied with Yagami and Ryuga."

"I guess it makes sense, then," the meek one replied. "Super smart people tend to flock to one another." After a pause she asked, "Was she carrying a cane at the entrance ceremony?"

Bambi frowned.

"No, I don't think so," the more mature voice answered.

"I wonder what happened to her…"

A sigh escaped the brunette's lips as she cast her gaze downward again.

The hacker's attention only returned to the match when someone excused himself to climb the chair that she was leaning against. Not long after that, Light tied the score 4-4. As Bambi looked back and forth between the competitors, she could tell that they were both exhausted. Both men were hunched over, shaking as they tried to catch their breaths. And yet, they continued playing. She furrowed her eyebrows at the pair. _The only way either of them will give up is if they collapse. They're both too stubborn._ Her attention was focused on Light as he stepped up his game again. I suppose this proves that Light also hates to lose.

As the match went on, Light's expression became more serious. He caught L off guard and scored his fifth point. The audience got even louder than they were before, split between cheers for either genius. Bambi held her tongue, opting to stay focused on Light as the match intensified. L kept getting close to tying, but he just wasn't good enough. With another strong return of the ball, Light scored the final point, winning the match 6-4.

As the referee announced the score and L admitted defeat, the young woman stood from her spot against the referee's chair. The two players shook hands over the net as she approached them. L's voice became quiet as the two spoke, though Bambi were certain that she heard the word 'Kira' before Light glanced to her. She reached the men shortly after that.

"Congratulations, Light." She smiled.

Light smiled at her apologetically. "Emily, would you mind if we rescheduled? Something urgent just came up."

Bambi could see L smiling from behind the brunet.

She narrowed her eyes slightly at the detective's triumphant expression before saying, "Yeah, it's fine."

"Thanks," he answered as he put a sweaty hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Sorry that you had to stay through this whole thing anyway."

She shrugged. "I don't mind. It was fun to watch."

Bambi then bid the pair a farewell and turned to walk away. Once she was out of sight, she made it to her moped, put on her helmet and goggles, and headed back to headquarters. The traffic hindered her travel time, but she made made it back in about an hour. As the teen arrived at the hotel, a pulsing flash of red light caught her eye – an ambulance. She scrunched her nose and tilted her head at the strange sight before pulling into the first floor of the garage. The brunette parked her moped and took off her helmet before shifting her goggles to rest on the top of her head. After looking around to see no emergency vehicles, the hacker shrugged her shoulders and walked into the lobby. As she weaved her way through the crowd, she looked up and saw paramedics rushing an occupied stretcher out of the building. The crowd parted to make way for the men, pushing past her in the process. The teen couldn't see past the people in front of her, but the crowd dispersed once the patient was loaded into the ambulance.

_Well, that was weird,_ she thought as she readjusted her bag and made her way to the elevator.

Once Bambi was let off at the appropriate floor, she strolled over to Headquarters. Strangely enough, the young woman heard hushed whispers from the other side of the door. She unlocked the door and let herself in before looking up to the group of investigators before her. Both Matsuda and Aizawa were paler than usual. Mello and Matt had tensed in their seats as they stared at her. Near was in the corner with his back to the group as he twirled his hair in silence.

The brunette raised an eyebrow as she asked, "What'd I miss? You guys look like you just saw a ghost."

Matt and Mello exchanged glances. Aizawa tilted his head down, pinching the bridge of his nose as he heaved a sigh.

Matsuda looked up at her with a frown. "Well…"

"Chief Yagami had a heart attack," Near finished. "He was still alive when the ambulance arrived, though."

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows at the news as she mumbled, "So, that's what was going on." A few moments passed before she asked, "Do you think it was Kira?"

"That's what we were wondering," Mello told her.

Near added, "If Kira doesn't have a 100 % kill rate, we may have missed a lot of victims."

She frowned and nodded gravely before coming to a realization. "I can make a program to help track down any other potential victims."

"I'm already on it," Matt informed her before patting at the empty seat next to him. "I could you a hand like yours, though."

"No problem."

Bambi ran to the bedroom to set down her things and grab her laptop before returning to Matt's side to aid him.

~o~

The sun had gone down long before L returned to headquarters, but all eyes were on the detective when he entered the room.

As he looked around the room, he announced, "Soichiro is alive, but he will not be returning until he recovers. I have determined that it was just a stress-induced heart attack." He then focused his attention on the Wammy Teams. "Additionally, Light Yagami will be joining the Task Force once his father returns. My conversation with him today has made me more suspicious of him than before."

His deduction about the heart attack confirmed the trend that the hackers' program had found, so Matt and Bambi decided to terminate it.

It wasn't long before L approached the pair, eyebrows furrowed as he addressed the brunette. "Why didn't you leave when I first told you to?"

The teen closed her laptop before addressing her boss. "Well, maybe if you told me about your plans beforehand, I would have listened. I had my own plans to interrogate him, you know." After a moment, she added, "Besides, you of all people should know that I never back down from a fight."

Beside her, Matt covered his mouth as a small smile creeped to his lips.

The head detective frowned. "You were supposed to watch him from the background, not directly interact with him."

"He's the one who won't leave me alone," she cried out with an exasperated tone.

This time Matt spoke up, a frown evident on his lips. "Do you think he's onto you?"

"No," Bambi assured him. "I think he just wants to be friends." She turned back to face L. "So, I'm just going with it. It'll work to our advantage anyway if he trusts me like that."

L nodded and asked, "Why didn't you tell me about your plans?"

"How about the fact that we're never around each other at the same time anymore? Or maybe the fact that you pretty much gave me free reign to choose how to run my mission?" the young woman suggested, her tone laced with sarcasm. "It's not like you told me your plans either."

The great detective frowned as paused to think. "It seems that you are correct. Perhaps we should set time aside to discuss these plans ahead of time."

"Took you long enough," she gloated as her lips curved into a smile and her body relaxed.

L rolled his eyes and shook his head, though he found himself smiling as he walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to have the next chapter out by the end of March.


	19. Challenges

*** * * April 18 * * ***

The afternoon sun bathed the dance hall in a warm glow, reflecting off the mirrors on the walls and onto the class within. The instructor was speaking, but Bambi was preoccupied as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror with a melancholy expression. Her fingers traced the long scar on her cheek as she realized that it was four months ago to the day when she was so close to escaping from Beyond. Four months ago when that madman stopped her and dragged her back to her prison. Four months ago when she was on the brink of death and ready to accept her fate.

"Uh, hel _lo_?" A masculine voice drove the teen out of her thoughts.

Her brown eyes widened momentarily before darting to the source. A young man stood before her as other students were making their ways to their partners. I guess he announced the pairs, then.

"The name's Kai Nakamura," he said with a smile.

"Emily."

The brunette took a moment to take in his appearance. His thick black hair was brushed to the side. She imagined that Near's hair would probably look like that if he parted it so close to his ear. Deep brown eyes looked back at the young woman with confidence. Bambi could almost swear that she recognized them from somewhere, though she knew that it was probably just from seeing this guy in class last week. His smirk was among the cockiest and most flirtatious that she had ever seen.

"Like what you see?" he cooed.

"Like I'd tell you if I did," the hacker told him as she tried not to smile. "Seriously, though, you just look familiar."

The teen smiled without a care before the instructor put on the music and told the class to begin. Bambi faced Kai as he took her right hand in his left and held it at shoulder height as required by the waltz. Then she lifted her left arm and placed her fingers on his shoulder. At the same time, her partner cupped his hand on her left shoulder blade. Once set, Kai began the dance.

Both teens were silent for a few minutes as they tried to get back into the pattern of steps that they had learned last week. Bambi was nervous at first, but she eventually relaxed and let Kai lead the dance. The brunette stumbled occasionally, but she was quick to recollect herself.

After a while, Kai spoke up. "Hey, I think you're in the same psych and programming lectures as me. What's your major?"

"Psychology," she answered with a smile.

"Heeey~, I'm a psych major too!" The overly-enthusiastic man's grin extended as he turned his partner.

"That explains why you looked so familiar," Bambi commented.

Kai was silent for another moment as he glanced over to one of the other pairs. He smiled again before returning his attention to the brunette and asking, "So, are you and Light Yagami dating?"

The hacker furrowed her eyebrows as she mumbled, "Why does everyone keep asking that?"

"So… is that a no?" he asked.

"Yeah," Bambi told him. "We're just friends."

He raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Really? It kinda looks like you're a couple since you're always with him."

Kai dropped the subject after a stern look from the brunette, instead focusing on the instructor's voice. "If you're feeling confident, you can try to mix up the dance and add some flare to it."

The Japanese teen's lips curved into an impressive grin as he sped up the dance. "Get ready, Emily!"

Bambi's eyes widened. "Wait, don't-"

He released his arm from her shoulder and tried to spin her to the right. He moved so fast that she could barely stay on her feet. When the young woman reached her full arm's length away, he lost his grip and sent her flying into the couple behind her.

Everyone stopped and stared at the three students on the ground and then to Kai, who cringed as his hands flew to the sides of his face.

"Sorry, Emily," he squeaked out.

A small groan escaped Bambi's lips as her back began to ache. This is going to be a long semester...

~o~

The sun was making its slow dip below the horizon, and most of the Task Force was grouped around the coffee table. Ukita was sitting next to Matsuda on one of the couches. On the couch across from him sat Bambi and Aizawa. Mello was leaning against the armrest to the brunette's side, and Near sat on the floor opposite of him. Matt and L had occupied the chairs that closed off the circle around the table on either side. Everyone was listening as Ukita gave his report.

"The only information we have on the whereabouts of Naomi Misora is from an employee at the hotel she was staying at. She was reported as 'leaving very late at night on December 27th.'" As he placed the file down, he looked to L. "Should we go public about this case? We can't get any fast results with only three people investigating."

L frowned. "Don't forget this is related to Kira. If we reveal her face, she'll be killed if she's not dead already."

A slight frown tugged at the corners of Bambi's lips as she contemplated the statement and what she knew about the ex-FBI agent. As the detectives continued their conversation, the teen recalled Misora's role in sending Beyond Birthday to prison and the questionable timeline of the murderer's whereabouts between his encounters with the Wammy Teams and showing up to kill L a few months ago.

She sighed before looking back up at L. "How can you be sure it was Kira and not… _him?"_

All eyes were on the hacker now. Matsuda raised an eyebrow, unsure of who she meant. Ukita seemed more shocked at her defying L's word than anything. The young woman's attention was too focused on L's silent staring to turn and see how the others reacted.

A few moments passed before she added, "The timing is right."

"That would go against his past MO," the head detective plainly explained.

Bambi's eyebrows sunk toward her eyes as she argued, "Look, all I'm saying is that just because her fiancé was killed by Kira, it doesn't mean that he went after her too."

"It makes it more likely," L told her. "But it is highly unlikely that Beyond Birthday was behind her disappearance because he had nothing to gain from it."

Near looked pointedly toward L as he spoke up. "The same could have been said before he kidnapped Bambi."

The brunette tensed at his reminder, though she had no flashbacks this time. Matsuda audibly gasped and all three of the Japanese detectives immediately turned to face the teen. The look in Aizawa's eyes was one of true concern and horror, perhaps due to the fact that he was a father.

Across from her, Ukita sat with wide eyes and his mouth agape. His quick glances to her scarred hands and cheek followed by slightly clenching his teeth told her that he felt foolish for not thinking of such a possibility sooner.

Matsuda had a softened look in his eyes as he drew his eyebrows together and looked from Bambi's cheek, down her arms, and to her ankle. With his ever-twisting expression, she could tell that he was likely imagining the horror that she had gone through with the murderer who had come to attack L a few months prior.

Bambi pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows as she glanced from the detectives to L. She felt a hand softly hold onto her shoulder, and she looked up to find that it belonged to Mello.

The blond glared at his rival as he snarled, "Shut the Hell up about that!"

"Enough," she sternly commanded as she lightly glared at him. "I'm fine, Mello."

He recoiled at her tone before looking away in a huff as he folded his arms.

"Bambi's situation was different," L began, drawing the group's attention to him once more. "Beyond was using her to get to me. He wouldn't have touched her otherwise."

She knitted her eyebrows together as she looked down, though she caught a glimpse of Matsuda's horrified expression directed at her. A few moments passed before a voice to her left caught the attention of the group.

"He could have done the same to Misora," Matt chimed in. "In Beyond's mind, she was the only reason he didn't beat you the first time."

"That is a possibility," he admitted, "but it's far more likely that her disappearance is connected to Kira."

"This is exactly your problem, Ryuzaki," Bambi growled. "You're just as obsessed with Kira as _he_ was with beating you."

L narrowed his eyebrows slightly, though frustration was clear in his voice. "And what do you want to do? Do you want us to broadcast her image for Kira to see? He'll recognize her as Penber's fiancé and kill her the moment it's aired."

The detectives turned their eyes to Bambi, waiting as she formed the right words. A few moments passed before she opened her mouth, but the blond behind her spoke first.

"If she was attacked or kidnapped by Beyond, there's no way she's alive. Even if he didn't kill her, she would have died from being chained up this long without food or water," Mello pointed out. "And if it was Kira, he would have killed her already. We might as well just put her photo up so that we can give her family some damn closure."

The room fell silent as everyone considered Mello's words. Only a few moments had passed before the door slammed shut, drawing everyone's attention to it.

"Ryuzaki," Watari said as he rushed toward the group.

"What is it?"

"Sakura TV," he answered as he grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on the television. "Something big has happened."

Matt picked up his chair and moved it out of the way as the news anchor spoke. "In other words we are practically reporting this news as the hostages of Kira himself. This is not a prank. The videos are not a hoax."

"Kira's hostages?" Aizawa cried out.

"What the heck is this?" Matsuda asked.

L moved his seat so that he was the closest to the television. Bambi furrowed her eyebrows and scrunched her nose, not quite believing their words.

The anchorman had a calm expression on his face, though he was clearly shaking as he explained that Kira had sent the studio director four video tapes. In the first tape, Kira correctly predicted the deaths of two criminals. He went on to explain that Kira had instructed them to play the second tape at 5:59 pm. By the time the anchorman had passed the tape to a woman to play it, the Japanese detectives had all risen out of their seats. The only people who remained sitting were Bambi, L, Near, and Matt.

At 5:59 pm exactly, the video began playing. Everyone watched intently as the image of the news room was replaced by the word 'Kira' crudely written in the same font that L uses.

A machine-muffled voice rang out to say, "I am Kira."

Bambi glanced to L as the voice continued, reminded of when she first met the detective.

As she returned her attention to the screen, the voice said, "Please change the channel to Taiyou TV. The news anchor will die of a heart attack at exactly 6:00 pm."

"What?!" Mello yelled.

L was calm as he instructed, "Change the channel."

All eyes were glued to the screen as Watari did just that. Sure enough, one of the news anchors clutched his chest in agony before collapsing onto the desk, to the shock and horror of his co-anchors. Bambi's eyes widened at the sight as she took a sharp and quiet gasp. She became even further distraught as she looked down and found her hands trembling in her lap.

One of the Japanese detectives gasped before L commanded, "Now change it back. Please move one – no, two more televisions to this room."

"Yes, sir," Watari said before handing the remote to Matt and rushing out of the room.

Kira's mechanical voice continued, "That was the punishment for always speaking in cynical terms against me on television. Surely one person is not enough to prove my identity, so I will take another sacrifice. This target is another commentator on NHN who always opposes my actions."

"Channel 24!"

Matt flipped to the channel only for one of the anchors to die in his chair.

A few moments passed before L told the group, "Kira is directly manipulating the mind of the public."

"We need to stop that broadcast," Mello added.

Matsuda ran to the phone to call the station directly as Aizawa took out his cell phone to try to contact his friend who works at Sakura TV.

"I do not mean to kill innocent people," Kira's voice said. "I abhor evil and defend justice. The police do not have to be my enemies. They can be my allies."

L spoke up. "Bambi, would Peekaboo be capable of stopping the broadcast?"

The hacker's eyes widened. _Of course!_ "I'm on it!"

Aizawa informed the group, "My friend's phone is off."

She leaped from her seat and ran to the bedroom to retrieve her laptop.

Matt chased after her and asked, "Don't you need a preexisting link to the station for that?"

"Yes, but-"

"No one's answering," Matsuda called out.

Bambi grabbed her laptop as she explained, "I sent out a virus a while ago to give me access to all news outlets around the world. It's still running, so I might have it in the database."

The pair emerged from the bedroom only to watch Ukita run out the door. They returned to their chairs and Bambi began her search through the database to identify all news sources in Japan. The database was labeled by nation, general region, and IP Address, though there was no hint to which one belonged to which station. When she narrowed the list down to those, she began the automated test to reach across to her virus on the other side, which would give her the output of the name of the station.

"As long as no one tries to oppose me, no one else will die," Kira claimed.

"What the Hell is taking so long?" Mello growled.

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows as she explained, "It's an old database, so it's going to take a bit longer. Just give it a few minutes."

As the Task Force listened to Kira's message and waited for a positive ID from the database, Watari returned with two televisions. Matsuda and Aizawa moved to help the veteran set them up.

Not another minute passed before Mello growled, "I'm not sitting around to let this end on Kira's terms!"

Her eyes widened as she whipped her head around, just in time to see the blond grab his keys off the table and run out the door. Not long after that, Matt cursed under his breath and rose from his seat.

As he ran to grab his keys, L turned to face him. "And where do you think you're going?"

The redhead didn't even spare the detective a glance as he headed toward the door and answered, "To stop Mello from doing something stupid."

"Wait!" Bambi cried out. "I'm going with you."

Matt stopped immediately and frowned at her. "No, you need to stop the broadcast. I can handle him."

She gritted her teeth as she considered his statement. "Fine, but you'd better make it back – both of you."

He flashed her a smile and winked before rushing out the door.

A few moments passed as she gazed at the spot where her friend had been standing. Her lips tightened into a thin line before she returned her attention to the database and waited. At the sound of new voices, she glanced up and found that the new televisions were set up. As Kira continued his speech about how the police should work with him, the other news stations were working on the story of the Sakura TV hostages.

"We are now live at the front entrance of Sakura TV."

"This just in, there's a man in front of Sakura TV station's front door trying to get in!"

The live image played out on the smallest of the screens. Bambi recognized the man as he pulled out his gun. Then, he froze. Her eyes went wide as Ukita hunched over, dropping his weapon. Not even ten seconds later, he collapsed. The brunette felt her heart sink as Aizawa ran up to the screen.

"Ukita!" he cried out. "Damn you Kira!"

As he ran past Bambi and L, the older detective spoke up. "Aizawa, stop. Where are you going?"

"To where Ukita is," he growled. "I'll retrieve those tapes myself."

L turned. "If you go now, you'll die too."

Tears pricked at the corners of Bambi's eyes as the images of Mello and Matt flashed across her mind's eye.

Aizawa craned his neck to look back to L as he gritted his teeth. "Ryuzaki, are you telling me to sit and stare at the TV doing nothing?"

"I'm telling you to calm down."

In her peripheral vision, Bambi could see that Kira had just stricken down another officer who made it to the scene. She took a deep breath before focusing on her screen again, though her shaking hands did not escape her notice.

On the other side of L, Near spoke up for the first time since the whole ordeal began. "If Ukita was killed by Kira, he won't hesitate to kill anyone else who goes there. I don't know if Matt will be able to reach Mello in time to stop him either. As of right now, it is very possible that we will have lost three detectives by the end of this broadcast. We can't afford to lose anyone else."

"So our fake badges are useless after all?" Aizawa asked. "Did our names leak out somehow?"

"That is possible," L admitted. "However, why hasn't Kira killed every one of us already? I said that Kira needed both the name and face to kill, but after seeing this I have to say that there is now the possibility of Kira being able to kill using someone's face alone."

Near added, "It is likely that Kira is somewhere in or around the station and watching closely for intruders."

"That or he's using cameras to keep track of what's going on," Bambi suggested.

As L acknowledged her input with a nod, a small chime rang out from her laptop. All attention focused on the teen as she read the results: the database returned with a positive ID for Sakura TV. She glanced over to L, who nodded. Fingers flying as fast as the wind, she opened Peekaboo and ran the address through the program. A long-extinguished fire raged within her as she set her fingers ready and watched the original television with a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"Even if you don't agree with me," Kira's voice continued, "as long as you don't announce your views in the media, I will not kill you. Now please wait-"

Kira's video was silenced and the image replaced with something no one had seen in years. Centered on a black background were the letters 'RH' written in white calligraphy with an arrow pointing through them – the symbol of the Robin Hood Hacker. While this shocked the Japanese detectives behind the young woman, she went straight into typing. As her fingers flew across the keyboard, a computerized voice read them aloud on the television screens.

"I'd like to see you try. Anonymity is such a wonderful thing, isn't it, Kira?" the hacker's mechanical voice teased. "I know that you're watching this broadcast, so listen up and listen well. Believe me when I say that I understand that you were trying to help people when you started, but you just crossed the line. I will not stand by and let you terrorize people and take innocent lives because they disagree with you." The corners of her lips curled upward into a dangerous smile as she continued typing. "You can run, but you can't hide from me, Kira. I always win."

With a few more strokes of her keyboard, Bambi took Sakura TV off the air, leaving nothing but static on the channel. The room was silent save for chatter from the other two news outlets.

"According to our sources, a hacker just took Sakura TV off air after denouncing Kira in public."

"This just in, the famed Robin Hood Hacker has returned and challenged Kira."

"It is unknown if this is the hacker by the same alias who was responsible for-"

Bambi was still, chills crawling down her spine as she found herself lost in the adrenaline rush that she had once been so addicted to. Her stomach churned, yet she felt better in that moment than she had at all these past four months. Was it the act of hacking that she had so missed? She furrowed her eyebrows. _No, I've hacked a few times since then._

L interrupted her thoughts with a comment. "You lost to me."

She smiled playfully at the detective. "You were a statistical outlier and were therefore excluded from my calculation."

Before he could answer back, the squeals of brakes and the crack of shattering glass was heard from one of the televisions. Everyone looked to the screens to find that a large van had just crashed through the entrance of Sakura TV.

The great detective spoke again. "Aizawa, you know Vice Chief Kitamura's cell phone number, right?"

"Right," he confirmed before handing his cell phone to L.

He went into Aizawa's contacts and dialed the Vice Chief's number. While instructing him to keep his officers safe, another call came in on Watari's phone.

He pulled it out and read the caller ID. "It's Chief Yagami."

The veteran gave the phone to L, who put the Vice Chief on hold. "Chief Yagami, so that was you in the armored van?"

The great detective was silent for a few moments as he listened to Soichiro on the other line. After continuing the conversation for a short while longer, L spoke to the Vice Chief of police and asked him to send officers to form a blockade in front of the TV station to protect Soichiro as he exits the building.

~o~

Soichiro had already returned with the tapes that were sent to Sakura TV along with the copies that the station had made. Bambi and Near were sitting on either side of L as the three of them watched what Kira had to say. They were on the third tape when Bambi's phone started to ring. L glared at her for a moment as she took it out of her pocket and saw that it was Matt calling. A wave of relief washed over her to know that he was alive. The hacker stood and answered the phone as she made her way to the other side of the suite.

"Hey, we found a room in a hotel that's in sight of the station," he began. "There's a pair of binoculars on the table, but no one's here. We asked the people at the front desk about it, and they said that whoever had the room dropped off the keys a few hours ago. Mello's questioning the staff right now."

"It's the right timeline for it to be Kira," Bambi pointed out.

She looked over to L and Near for a moment before telling Matt, "Get all the security tapes you can and bring them here."

"No problem."

After hanging up the phone, she relayed the news to L and resumed watching Kira's tapes. After an hour or so, the three geniuses gathered around the coffee table with the Japanese detectives present to discuss their findings.

"Kira instructs to play one tape if the police will work with him and the other tape if the police refuse," L began. "Both tapes basically say the same thing, just worded differently. He wants the media to broadcast more information on criminals and as assurance or revenge, Kira wants the police to give away the Chief of police and L on television."

Near chimed in, "Kira has acted differently in this situation than ever before. Between killing innocent dissenters and that he was able to kill Ukita and those other officers, we think that this Kira is not the original Kira that we were facing before."

Soichiro and Matsuda went wide-eyed while Mogi stayed as stoic as ever.

Aizawa asked, "Are you sure?"

A few moments passed before L informed the group, "I am ninety-five percent sure."

Matsuda gasped at the high probability.

"Chief Yagami," L began, "if you don't mind, I would like to invite your son to join the Task Force."

"Of course-"

The suite door was flung open, revealing Matt and Mello with a bag full of tapes. Bambi's heart fluttered at the sight of the pair, safe and sound.

"Well-timed," L addressed the young men. "The four of you will be moving out in the morning. Watari has made the preparations."

"Okay," Mello said before holding up the bag in his hands. "We've got the surveillance tapes."

The great detective nodded before turning to the brunette on the couch. "Bambi, you will watch the tapes with Matt and Mello."

"Okay."

She stood and made her way to the televisions alongside the pair of older teens. As Mello put the tapes into the players, Bambi smiled and looked from the blond on the floor to the redhead on the couch.

Matt caught her gaze and beamed at her. "I told you we'd be fine."

A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "You did."

The brunette sat down next to Matt before Mello sat to her other side and started the tapes. The trio watched, paying particular attention to the empty room where the binoculars were found. The area was relatively inactive until 6:23 pm, shortly after Kira's video was cut short. The teens watched as a figure emerged from the room and rushed to an exit.

"She's definitely a girl," Bambi said as she watched the image of a petite figure in a trench coat with her face covered by a hood.

"The receptionist told me that she was pale, had black hair, a haircut like mine, a high-pitched voice, and she wore glasses," Mello told the group.

Matt frowned. "The maid who found the binoculars told me that she had long blonde hair."

"She's probably really a blonde," Bambi chimed in. "Was the maid supposed to come in?"

"She said that she walked in and the girl freaked out and made her leave," Matt explained before turning to Mello. "Did anybody give you her name?"

"It's probably fake, but she claimed to be Yoko Suzuki," the blond told the group. "She paid in cash, so there's no credit card to say otherwise."

Aizawa stepped up behind the couch and addressed the three of them. "The fingerprints in the room and on the binoculars should help us find out who she really is, along with the evidence on the tapes."

A smile settled on Bambi's face. _Things are starting to look up._


	20. The Assignment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back! There should be another new chapter out soon too.

*** * * April 19 * * ***

It was mid-afternoon in Tokyo, and everyone was going about their day. The Wammy Teams were moving into what would be their home for the remainder of the Kira case. The house was a quaint, one-story building on the outskirts of the city. There was a small yard surrounding the premises filled with lush blades of grass and outlined by a short fence. With no garage and a small driveway, Bambi had parked her moped on the street near the mailbox. Everyone was going back and forth between Matt's car and the house taking boxes of their belongings and new beddings inside. Bambi braced herself as she lifted a particularly heavy box, what is most likely to be her desktop that Watari finally had sent out to Japan. Her steps were slow as she carefully made her way inside, peering around the side of the large package as she walked.

As she walked past Mello in the living room, he back up and put his hands around the box. "Here, I've got it."

The brunette snorted as her eyebrow twitched. "I'm fine. Let go."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Look, it's heavy. Just let me take it."

"I said I'm fine!" she snapped with a glare. "Stop treating me like a child. I can handle myself."

The blond narrowed his eyes. "I'm not treating you like a child."

The two shared a mutual glare, barely noticing Matt as he walked by until he commented, "You kinda are."

Mello shifted his glare to his best friend for a brief moment before huffing, "Fine. Whatever."

He released the package and walked outside as he grumbled something about checking the security. Bambi rolled her eyes before continuing toward the back of the house. A voice from the couch halted her in her tracks.

"He's just trying to be nice to you," Near told her as he twirled a hair around his fingers.

She frowned. "Yeah, but he's overdoing it. He's not letting me do anything on my own, but I'm just as much a part of the team as any of you guys."

The hacker continued on her way and entered the room that she would be sharing with Near. It was spacious enough – bigger than Bambi's room back at the orphanage, but smaller than the room she had gotten used to at her headquarters with Near. Then again, she was used to having a room to herself. Watari was able to get a house with two bedrooms, as was the original plan, but he was unable to find a bigger rental house within reasonable commuting distance to To-Oh.

Bambi placed the box on her bed and opened it before taking out the pieces to her desktop and beginning to set it up on the desk at her side of the room. As she hooked up her multiple monitors, her mind began to drift to the events of the previous night. So much had happened that it all felt like a long nightmare. She sighed as the images of the second Kira's victims flashed across her mind's eye, the last of which was Ukita. Her lips tightened into a thin line as she thought of the effects his death would have on his loved ones.

And that rage that compelled her to challenge Kira so openly... it reminded her of how she became the Robin Hood Hacker – of _why_ she became the Robin Hood Hacker. Her goal was to right the wrongs done by those people who made their workers cower in fear, to fix what all others were too afraid to fix. To protect people against those who abuse their power. Would she be able to resist returning to action after her contract with L expired?

A knock on the opened door drew Bambi out of her thoughts. She turned to see Matt standing there with a slight frown on his face.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The redhead stuffed his hands into his pockets as he looked over to her computer. "It's crazy that you're back on the scene again. I wonder how everyone's going to take it."

She shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

There was a lull in the conversation as he sat down next to. "How are you taking it?"

"I'm fine, I guess," she mumbled.

He nudged her lightly. "Hey, you can tell me – just between us computer geeks."

She sighed. "I don't know. It's just... it's been so long since I did anything as Robin Hood. I thought that everything would be fine, but it's kinda bothering me. Not what I did, but... I don't know." She paused to think for a moment. "I want to do it again – I want to feel the thrill again – but I know I shouldn't. It's like..."

"An addiction?"

Bambi tightened her lips into a thin line as she nodded.

Matt smiled bitterly. "Believe me, Amy, I know a thing or two about addiction."

The brunette frowned as she looked up at him.

"No matter how many times I try to quit, I just keep coming back," he admitted. "The cravings drive me crazy and every time I smell someone else smoking, it makes them so much worse. The longest I've ever made it was two weeks."

"Yours sounds worse than mine," she told him.

"It doesn't make yours any less bad. Addictions are distracting."

There was a short silence between the pair of addicts before Bambi smiled and spoke up. "Hey, why don't we work on trying to quit together? You'll keep me in check, and I'll keep you in check."

He laughed. "I guess it'll be more bearable being miserable together. Alright." He grabbed her hand and shook it. "You've got yourself a deal."

"Good, now hand 'em over."

"What?! Right now?" He whined as he stood and backed away. "Can't we start next week?"

"No way, you shook on it." She rose and stalked after him. "Besides, I'm going to ween you off one cigarette at a time."

Matt pouted at her for a few moments before groaning, _"Fine."_

He grabbed the packs in his pockets and handed them over.

She put them on the bed before adding, "The ones in your room too."

"Alright..."

The pair walked to the next room where Matt handed over the remainder of his cigarettes.

"Okay, so how many do you usually smoke in a day?"

The redhead winced as he mumbled, "Two packs..."

"And how many have you had today?"

"One pack..."

Bambi nodded as she opened a pack and removed a single cigarette. "Okay." She closed the box and handed it to him. "Here. This is how many you can have the rest of the day. We'll have to come up with a replacement too for when you run out and get cravings. I think we'll turn to the internet for help on that one."

Matt nodded before following Bambi back to her room in search of alternatives.

 

*** * * April 22 * * ***

It was a warm Saturday afternoon, but the Japanese members of the task force were working the day away inside their newest hotel headquarters. It was Light's first day on the team and he had been assigned to write a fake Kira response to the second Kira. L wanted the script completed as soon as possible so that they could air the message on the evening news. The brunet had to be careful to keep the right information hidden while still remaining in-character as far as L was concerned. Light spent a few minutes to go over his draft before handing his work to the head detective.

"How does this look?" He asked as L read through his draft. "I think I wrote it just as Kira would."

A few moments passed before he finished reading. "It's written amazingly well, but I will be making a few edits before sending it out to the recording team."

Light laughed and put his arms behind his head. "I wasn't serious about the part that offers you to the second Kira. Feel free to edit that out."

L nodded. "I planned on it. Though, I have one question, Light."

He raised an eyebrow and returned his arms to his lap. "What is it?"

"How do you know so much about the Robin Hood Hacker?" he asked the teen with a curious smile.

"That's it?" Light laughed. "I followed the story when I was in high school."

"Why were you interested in the case?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" the brunet retaliated. "He dealt a major blow to one of Japan's most corrupt companies. I'm pretty sure that anyone who paid even the slightest bit of attention to the news knows about him."

L put his thumb to his lip as he mused, "I suppose you're right."

With that, he walked away with the script before handing it to Aizawa to deliver it to the special recording team.

Later that night, the task force gathered around the televisions to watch Light's fake Kira message play out. Light and L sat closest to the screens while the other detectives surrounded them. They waited a few moments as the news anchor explained that there was a new message – approved for airing by the police – from someone who claims to be the real Kira. Light watched carefully as the image switched to the video that was prepared by a special team outside the task force.

Black calligraphy letters spelling out 'Kira' were centered on an off-white background that was covered in sparkles. Light noted that the calligraphy 'R' looked to be almost the same font as the one used by the Robin Hood Hacker. He must be working for L, he realized. A mechanical voice different from those he has heard thus far played out from the audio.

"I am Kira."

 _It doesn't seem to be made by the same voice recorder,_ Light thought. _Ryuzaki said that the messages were being recorded by a team. Maybe he has other hackers at his disposal._

"I am the true Kira, and the person who created the video which aired on Sakura TV four days ago was not Kira," the digital voice claimed. "I currently believe that the individual who claimed to be me is my supporter and is speaking on my behalf. I am appreciative. However, the taking of innocent lives is against my will. If the person who claimed to be me agrees with me and wishes to be supportive, he or she should refrain from taking any foolish actions and should first work to understand my purpose. If he or she does not heed my warning and continues to act in this manner, then I will be forced to pass judgement on him or her."

On the other side of the city, the Wammy Teams were gathered around the television, watching their video unfold.

"And to the Robin Hood Hacker, I trust that you now understand that my intentions are still as pure as when I first started."

Mello scoffed and grumbled, "Yeah, about as pure as dirt."

"I plan to cleanse the world of evil, leaving only good people behind. As good as the justice system is, it does not catch all the evil people – something you surely understand. I urge you to reconsider your stance and align yourself with me."

The message ended, returning to the news anchors, who began to discuss what had just been broadcast. On both ends of the city, the task force investigators began to move from their televisions. While Light smiled and was congratulated on his convincing script, Bambi frowned at the internal debate that she had pushed away for so long.

 

*** * * April 25 * * ***

It was mid-morning the week after the second Kira's message was broadcast to all of Japan. Bambi was sitting in class next to Light as she took notes on profiling criminals, though the young woman was watching the Kira suspect out of the corner of her eye. He passed L's test to join the task force, but the great detective shared with her that he was still suspicious of the teen.

Light held himself high throughout the class, showing an even higher air of confidence than usual. _That could either be from having the upper hand against L or just from being accepted into the task force in the first place,_ the young woman silently mused.

Ten minutes before the class was officially over, the professor stopped his lecture and walked over to his briefcase. He took out a large stack of papers and divided it into smaller piles before handing them down the rows of students.

"Today, you'll be starting the criminology project," he told the class. "Just as a reminder, this assignment will replace the midterm exam."

The hushed roar of chatter filled the classroom as students tried to find a friend to work with. Bambi leaned back in her seat and smiled at Light. This is what she had been waiting for all semester. It would be the perfect opportunity to delve into his psyche and see exactly how similar he is to Kira.

The professor cleared his throat and announced, "I have already chosen your partners, so there is no need to discuss it."

Bambi frowned at the news. A collective groan rang out from the class before they quieted down, allowing him to continue.

"I will reveal the groups and your subjects after going over what I expect," he told the class. "I have been watching you carefully since day one to decide who to pair together. If anyone can explain my reasons for each pair, I'll give you extra credit."

The professor surveyed the room, making sure that everyone had an information sheet before beginning again.

"You will have just over two weeks to complete and hand in the project. Every student needs to hand in a paper they write individually along with the presentation you will be doing together," the professor explained. "Your paper should focus on profiling your criminal, but you need to include the details that you put in the presentation. I'll be looking for the following main points in your presentation."

He held up the assignment sheet and adjusted his reading glasses. "You need to explain the crimes in enough detail that the class can get a rough idea of them. If there are any unusual characteristics about the crimes – and there will be for a majority of you – point them out. Include any known background on your criminal and a picture of him or her. Make sure to tell us what happened to your criminal. Were they caught? What sentence were they given? Et cetera."

He paused for a moment before adding, "If you can't find anything on your criminal's background – and some of you won't – then you are to give the suspected background of your criminal. Now for the harder part." He looked back up to the class. "You are to use what you have learned in this class to profile the criminal. Tell us why you think he or she committed the crimes they did, and what led to the unusual aspects of his or her case."

"Finally, you will connect the criminal to a modern topic. Tell us why I included him or her in the assignment." The professor put the sheet down. "Everything is due on May 11th. Presentations will begin that day and the order will be chosen at random."

The professor reached into his folder and pulled out another sheet of paper. "Takada and Miyano, your assignment is Kira."

Bambi looked to her left as the professor rattled off names and saw Kiyomi tense for a moment. Behind her, the brunette could see a small pout on Kai's face.

"Nakamura and Uchida, the Robin Hood Hacker."

She couldn't help the corner of her lips from twitching upward for a moment at the sound of her old hacker alias. This smirk was quickly replaced by a frown as she realized that it would make it impossible to keep the information from Light as she had planned.

Kai's attention was drawn to the professor as he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who's that?"

The professor halted for a moment to tell him, "That's the point of research, Nakamura."

The pout returned to the teen's lips as he folded his arms and looked down at his desk, leaving the professor to continue. A few more minutes passed before Bambi heard her current alias.

"Stone and Yagami, Beyond Birthday."

Bambi did her best to keep her expression neutral in front of Light, despite her shock. Unfortunately, she was unable to quell her shaking hands. It may not have been something that the young woman wanted to admit, but she still hadn't made a full mental recovery from being tortured by the man.

Light's eyes widened momentarily before he returned to a neutral expression. Bambi took note of this in addition to her knowledge that the criminal was not very well-known in Japan, unless news got out about his appearance and death in the small nation. A few moments passed as the professor finished handing out the pairs and assignments.

After he dismissed class, Light turned to the brunette beside him and asked, "Do you want to start researching before class later?"

"I would rather do some research on my own first," she told him.

Much to her surprise, he was compliant. "I understand."

Bambi nodded silently and became lost in her thoughts again as she put her notebook in her bag. Before doing anything with Light, she would have to determine what information was public knowledge and what was still classified. The hacker decided that she would have to get some help tonight. She silently rose from her seat after packing up her things.

"Emily?"

Bambi directed her attention to Light and raised an eyebrow.

He smiled and laughed lightly, though it felt almost forced. "Looks like I lost you for a bit, there. As I was saying, would you like to go to lunch before class?"

She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Thanks, but I would really rather some time to myself today."

A sad smile rose to Light's lips. "That's okay. I'll just see you later."

As she watched him walk away, she frowned. It was unusual for him to submit to her refusals so easily. As soon as he was out of sight, Bambi headed to where she parked her moped. Along the way, she took out her helmet and put it on, followed by her goggles and scarf. She mounted her moped and adjusted her goggles before pulling out and making the trek back to the house. Half an hour passed before she finally made it to the outskirts where they were they were living. She parked in front of the house out of habit, though she noticed that only Matt's car was parked in the driveway. _Mello must have started working on the Misora case again._

Bambi shut the door to the rental house behind her and locked it before surveying the room for occupants. Near was sitting on the couch to her right, lost in thought, and Matt was at the table. After a moment the white-haired teen was drawn out of his thoughts and looked over to his partner.

Upon seeing the haggard look on her face, he commented, "You don't look well. What's wrong?"

"I was paired with Light and assigned Beyond Birthday for the criminology project," she told him with a frown.

Matt turned around to face her. "Can you change it?"

"We're not allowed to," she explained. "I wouldn't want to anyway. Light's making me suspicious. He never gives up so easily as he did when we spoke, and he seemed to recognize Beyond's name."

Near twirled his hair around his finger for a few moments as he stared across the room. "There are a few possible explanations for that. First, and least suspicious, he could have read about Beyond Birthday after his death in Japan. We know that Kira killed him, so recognizing the name could also indicate that Light is Kira." He paused for a moment before looking to Bambi and adding, "What would be most problematic is if he read about Beyond at some point and suspects you of being his kidnapping victim."

"That's what I was thinking too," she admitted. "I need to make sure that I won't say anything that could make him suspicious of me."

Matt chimed in. "I can help if you want. I worked on the case for a lot longer than you did, after all."

Bambi smiled and thanked him before taking a seat next to the redhead at the table.

"Everything about his first case is known to the public," he told her.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Even the stuff about Misora and L?"

"Well, they know that Misora caught him and was working for L," Matt explained before moving on. "They know that he escaped from prison last summer and the identities of all his suspected victims." Upon seeing her cringe, he added, "The only thing that was publicized about you was your sex and rough age."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

The redhead thought for a moment before continuing. "They know that he disappeared for a month before showing up in Japan. The statement said that he was shot after attacking an officer, and that he died in the hospital from heart failure."

"Do they know that he's from Wammy's?"

"No, thankfully." He then chuckled and added, "Some people online seem to think that he's the incarnation of the devil."

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "He might as well have been."


	21. Of Lies and Desperation

*** * * April 27 * * ***

It was a warm spring afternoon, and the sun shined brightly on the inhabitants of Tokyo. A few blocks from To-Oh University was a small café nestled between two shops. The aroma of coffee and freshly baked treats filled the area, enticing anyone who walked by to come and take a look. Despite the hour, the café only had a handful of customers at the tables. A waitress retrieved her most recent order from the chef and approached a table in a small alcove at the front of the café where a young man and woman were sitting.

She placed the plates in front of her two customers before asking, "Can I get you anything else?"

The brunet smiled and shook his head. "No, thank you."

She nodded and turned to walk away.

As Bambi returned her attention to her food, Light spoke up. "Thanks for making the time to meet on a weekday. I'm too busy on the weekends."

The brunette smiled at him as she waved a hand lightly. "Don't worry about it."

Light pushed his plate off to the side to make room for his laptop and the rubric.

"We should split the work for the presentation in half," he suggested. "If you don't mind, I was hoping to do the parts involving the crimes he committed, Birthday's background, and unusual aspects of his crimes." He looked up at his work partner expectantly.

That would leave her with profiling Beyond Birthday, connecting the case to a modern topic, and discussing his fate. The hacker's expression remained neutral for a moment as she sat in silence. _I'm already wary of what he may know about me, and I don't want to deepen his suspicions. I'm going to be out of my comfort zone no matter what part of the project I have to do._

"Yeah, sure," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really care what I do. It makes more sense for you to do the crime stuff anyway with your major."

Light gazed into her eyes for a few moments, almost as if he were searching for something, before smiling and beginning to eat his food. Bambi's eyebrow twitched upward as she noted his apparent surprise. _How was he expecting me to answer?_ She frowned before starting to pick at the danish on her plate.

They both took out their laptops soon after that and began working. Since Bambi already had a vast collection of information published on Beyond Birthday, she simply kept it hidden and pretended to search. A few minutes passed before Light broke the silence.

His tone was that of interest as he explained, "A quick look at his Wikipedia page tells us that Detective L actually worked on the original case a few years ago. A detective called Deneuve worked on the second case after Birthday's escape from prison last year."

A few moments passed before he added, "Is 'Beyond Birthday' a normal name to you? From my point of view it's fairly strange, but that may just be cultural."

"Yeah, it's pretty weird if you ask me," she admitted with a laugh.

Light nodded to himself before continuing. "It also says that he killed fifteen people – three in his first case along with an attempted suicide. He is suspected of murdering twelve people in the past year in addition to an attempted murder in Japan, and a kidnapping and torture incident. He also seems to have loved puzzles. And apparently he died this past January due to complications with a gunshot wound."

She wasn't sure, but it almost seemed like he had narrowed his eyes for a brief second after reading that last line.

A few moments passed before he asked, "So, what do you make of all that?"

Bambi frowned slightly as she shrugged and tried to push her memories aside. "He sounds like a terrible person?"

"Anything else?" he asked expectantly.

"What do you want me to say? He liked to listen to Guns & Roses when he wasn't killing people?" she grumbled. "There isn't exactly a lot to go by with such little information."

Light frowned. "We can't go _that_ far, but we can deduce that he had a flair for drama from his attempted suicide, kidnapping, and those cryptic puzzles he sent out for each murder."

The brunette silently nodded.

Both teens continued working in silence – well, Bambi gave the semblance of working before bringing up relevant articles and showing them to Light. Over the course of an hour the pair found all information they could on the Beyond's first victims, his mugshot, scans of the autopsy reports that were used in his trial, and a few articles summarizing his alleged crimes as the Encryption Killer over the past year. The autopsy reports for his recent crimes were not available, so Light was relying more on articles from local newspapers covering the crimes. It had come to the point where Light was positive that he had enough information on the murders and was ready to move on to Beyond's final crimes in the United States: the kidnapping and torture of a young, unidentified woman. She did her best to keep her cool as the two of them worked.

"Hey, Emily," Light called out. "I found an article with a picture that seems fairly useful. What do you think of it?"

He clicked around before turning his laptop to face the young woman, allowing her to read it. She closed her laptop and pushed it slightly to the side before turning her attention to the article. At the top of the page was an editor's note.

>   
>  Edit February 13th: The image that accompanied this article has since been removed because the file was corrupted.

The brunette paused for a moment and glanced up at Light. He gave off an air of confidence as he waited expectantly for her response. She redirected her attention to read through the article. It described in a fair amount of detail how long Beyond held his victim, the types of injuries she and her rescuer sustained, and a final description of what the picture had looked like.

> The rescuer was a white man in his late teens or early twenties. He had long blonde hair and was pictured carrying the unconscious victim out of the building. He sustained heavy burns to his left side in the explosion that later collapsed the building. The woman that he saved had sustained slight burning around her elbow and feet, suggesting that the rescuer may have used his own body to protect her from the blast. The woman's individual injuries were hard to distinguish because she was covered in what appeared to be dried blood, and we were unable to get hospital records on her or the man. The victim was white and in her late teens or early twenties. She also had short brown hair.

Bambi glanced back and forth between Light and the article. _Does he know?_

She coughed and smiled nervously at him. "It's really detailed, but it looks like they took the picture down."

Light furrowed his eyebrows and frowned before looking down at the article himself. A few moments passed as she heard him scroll throughout the article. His eyes narrowed for a brief moment before he looked back up at her with a perfectly calm expression.

"That's strange, I must have just read it wrong," he told her. "If I'm missing this much right now, then perhaps we should continue another day."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," she told him.

After letting Light cover the bill, the teens gathered their belongings and headed their separate ways. As Bambi drove home, she found herself lost in thought. _I wonder if he actually made that mistake or he was lying to cover the fact that he saw it before the picture was taken down. He's too smart for the first to be likely, but there's no way I'm admitting it, even if he brings it up._

*** * * April 30 * * ***

The sun was high that Sunday afternoon, and the men of the Yagami household had been hard at work at the task force headquarters. The youngest of the investigators – as far as he knew – walked over to L with a curious smile plastered on his face.

"Ryuzaki, is it true that you worked on the case of a murderer called Beyond Birthday?" Light asked.

L was silent for a moment as he glanced to his suspect. _He must either suspicious of Amelia being Beyond's victim or he researched Misora after killing her as Kira and found out that she worked for me on that case._

"Ryuzaki?"

The great detective smiled childishly as he looked over to the brunet. "Did you say something, Light?"

The teen forced a laugh and repeated himself. "Is it true that you worked on the case of Beyond Birthday?"

"Yes, it's true." L shoveled some cake into his mouth as he asked, "You've been researching my past cases, haven't you?"

Light's eyebrows twitched downward for a moment before he explained, "No, I'm actually doing a project on Beyond Birthday for one of my classes. After I read that you worked on the case, I thought that it would be best to ask you if it were true. Since it is, would you mind if I asked you a few questions about the case?"

_I'll have to contact Amelia tomorrow morning to see how true this is._ L smiled. "Go right ahead."

"Is it true that you let Beyond Birthday pretend to be you while your agent was investigating the case?"

"I never let him do anything," L argued. "Agent Misora never told me about the other person who claimed to be investigating with her." After seeing Light's eyes widen slightly at the mention of the woman's name, L smiled and added, "Naomi Misora was the FBI agent who helped me put Beyond Birthday behind bars the first time. She recently went missing this year after her fiancé's death."

There was a small lull in the conversation before Light asked, "The first time? Didn't the detective Deneuve work on his case after he escaped from prison?"

_Nice save, Yagami, but you have raised my suspicions by two percent._ L took another bite of his cake as he told the teen, "There is actually a network of L's. Deneuve is simply one of our alternate aliases."

"A network of L's?" Light's expression was neutral for a moment before he smiled. "You sure are full of surprises, Ryuzaki."

L put a thumb to his lip as he seemingly-mused, "There are other L's working on the Kira case too, but they are based elsewhere." After a moment he added, "As is obvious, please also keep this information confidential."

"Of course, Ryuzaki."

*** * * May 4 * * ***

After their programming lab, Bambi and Light went straight to the café to finish their presentation. A few hours of hard work and practice passed before they submitted the powerpoint online and ordered a celebratory dinner. The two of them conversed about their classes as they waited for their meals to arrive.

"So, Emily," Light began. "I've noticed that you're really good at programming. Why didn't you just take the class at the next level?"

"Well, I taught myself how to do it, so I had no credits to transfer," she explained.

"That's unfortunate," he commented. "Remind me: how did you get interested in programming anyway?"

_Shit. What the heck did I tell him before?_ She furrowed her eyebrows as she told him, "I've been interested in it as long as I can remember."

"Really?" he asked with an intrigued tone. "What kind of programs did you write?"

"Eh, mostly websites and organizers."

Before he could pester her with more questions, the waitress returned with their meals. The two teens ate in silence for a few minutes before Light spoke up again.

"I was wondering: how did you and Takeshi meet?"

Bambi thought back to Mello before telling the brunet, "He's just a family friend."

Light pursed his lips for a moment as he thought. Between what happened during their research last week and his recent stream of questions, Bambi wondered what he was trying to uncover. Was he really Kira and paranoid of her working for L? Did he find one of those articles that Kato mentioned before he got rid of her picture? Or maybe he was suspicious of her being the Robin Hood Hacker? One thing was certain: he was suspicious of her past. She had to take all of his possible suspicions into account, no matter how unlikely they were.

"Do you remember when we first met and I asked you about Kira?" Light began, drawing her full attention to him once more. "Well, I was wondering-"

"Emily, you've gotta help me!" a masculine voice cried out from behind the brunette.

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows and craned her neck to see the man. "What's up?"

Kai tripped as he raced to the table, landing flat on his face. He quickly brushed it off and climbed into the chair next to the young woman.

"You've gotta help me," he repeated before glancing across the table. "Hi, Light." Brown irises returned to Bambi. "Please?"

As She opened her mouth, Light spoke up with annoyance clear in his voice. "She can't help you if you don't tell her what's wrong."

"Right!" Kai exclaimed before brushing his hair back and smiling at her. "So, there's this girl I like – No, she's not a girl, she's a woman," he amended. "And she's really pretty and really, really smart. I want to ask her out, but she makes me super nervous and I never know what to say. So, I was trying to figure out how to do it, and then I was like, 'Hey, why don't I just ask another super smart girl what I should do?' Then I walked by and saw you in the window, and I was like, 'Hey, Emily's a super smart girl, I should go ask her.'" He then put his hands together. "So, will you help me?"

Bambi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Just be honest with her, I guess. If she doesn't like you for being you, then you should find someone who does."

Kai was silent for a moment as he pondered what she said.

"I guess that shouldn't be too hard," he mused before a panicked look took shape on his face. "Oh, I hope she doesn't fine me annoying."

"Who is it, anyway?" the brunette asked.

Kai's cheeks flushed red as he mumbled, "Kiyomi Takada." After a moment he added, "Is there anything else you can do to help?"

Bambi pursed her lips as she thought back to her old friends.

A smile rose to her lips. "You know what? I've got an idea that's so crazy it just might work. I'll go with you and help you ask her out, but I'll be hiding when you do it. Sound good?"

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Kai cried out as he bowed repeatedly. "Oh, I could kiss your feet right now, but I won't because that would be weird."

As he sat up straight, he continued. "So, I was thinking that maybe we could do it on Monday after programming, but around noon because Kiyomi has a class after programming. Can I have your phone number so we can coordinate more?"

"Uh... no, sorry. It's not something I give out lightly," she explained with an apologetic smile.

Light chimed in, "I don't even have Emily's number."

Kai nodded. "Okay, just meet me by the fountain after programming. Maybe you can coach me a bit before she gets there."

Bambi agreed to his terms, so the teen left with a smile. After watching him walk out the door, she turned to face Light.

He smiled at her. "It was nice of you to help him."

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. After paying, they both headed out and bid their goodbyes. The young woman watched Light as he walked down the street before beginning her own trek back to the house. On the way, she decided to give someone a call. She turned on her Bluetooth device before dialing the number.

The phone rang for a few seconds before someone answered it.

"Hey, what's up?" Matt asked.

"Hey, I'm on my way back, so I was wondering if anyone wants me to pick up dinner."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm not actually at the house," he told her. "Near's the only one home, but I guess you should probably get him something."

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Where are you?"

"The forensics team is done with the second Kira stuff. Mogi's busy with Mello, so Aizawa asked me to help," he explained. "They ID'ed the fingerprint, but the person died a few days before the tapes reached Sakura TV."

Bambi sighed. "It looks like this Kira can also control people before they die."

"Yeah, that's what it seems like."

"Well, that really sucks." After a short pause, she changed the subject. "So how are you feeling?"

He huffed a sigh. "I mean, I'm kinda irritable, but it's more bearable than the last few times I tried to quite. Probably because I tried to do it all at once."

She nodded to herself. "Hey, do you need me to pick up more carrots for when you get back?"

"No, I think I'm just gonna play some games to let off some steam."

"Alright. Take it easy."

"Yeah, you too."

*** * * May 8 * * ***

The sun shined brightly above as Bambi hid behind a bush near To-Oh's grand fountain. Miss To-Oh had just approached the fountain, her back to the bushes. The hacker watched as Kai circled around and approached her. He nervously glanced over to Bambi for a moment as he greeted his crush. The brunette gave him a big smile and a thumbs-up to try to encourage him.

"H-Hey, Kiyomi, f-fancy meeting you here," he started.

"Good afternoon, Kai." She nodded in his direction.

The poor boy began to tremble slightly as he glanced to Bambi again, apparently having forgotten her earlier coaching. She tugged on her hair lightly as she pointed to Kiyomi. Kai's eyes lit up as he turned to her again.

"Your hair is especially dark today!" he told her with a nervous smile.

Bambi slammed her palm to her forehead and ducked behind the bush when Kiyomi glanced back.

The brunette waited a few moments before peeking around the bush again and mouthing, "Compliment her."

"Y-You look nice today," he told Kiyomi. "Not that you don't always look nice, but today you look especially nice…"

Bambi heard Kiyomi laugh slightly. "Thank you, Kai."

Kai began to wring his hands nervously. "So, I was wondering… um…"

He smiled awkwardly as he looked behind her again. Kiyomi glanced back only to see the bush before returning her attention to the teenager before her. Bambi took an exaggerated deep breath to try to convey that he needed to relax.

He took a deep breath as he looked back to her. "Kiyomi Takada, will you-"

Bambi's phone loudly sounded off as someone called her. Kai froze and his eyes went wide as Kiyomi whipped around to look directly at the brunette.

"Come out here right now," she ordered as she narrowed her eyes.

Bambi winced before quietly standing and shooting Kai an apologetic smile.

"Now explain to me what is going on," she demanded as she looked between the guilty teens.

"I'm so sorry, Kiyomi. Please, don't be mad at Emily, though. If there's anyone to blame, blame me for being a coward," Kai begged as he took a step toward her.

Kiyomi's expression softened, though she remained silent.

He huffed a sigh. "Look, I know that a guy like me has no chance with a girl like you, but I really like you." He smiled. "Every time I see you, I get butterflies in my stomach and I get all tongue-tied. I feel like my heart's going to explode out of my chest any second now," he laughed. "But, that's why I asked Emily to help me."

Kai rubbed his arm as he looked back up at Kiyomi. "So, I was wondering, would you go out on a date with me?" After a moment, he added, "I'll understand if you refuse."

All was silent as Bambi and Kai looked at Kiyomi expectantly.

She smiled softly at him. "I appreciate your honesty, Kai. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time, but that doesn't mean I'm your girlfriend."

"Yes!" He jumped into the air and clicked his heels. "I promise that you won't regret it!"

Bambi smiled at the pair before quietly slipping away. Once she was out of sight, she called back the person who tried to reach her before.

A few moments of ringing passed before Near picked up the phone. "Bambi, I just received another influx of heart attack deaths. I need you to return."

"No problem. I'll be back in a bit."

*** * * May 9 * * ***

A day had passed since Bambi last saw Kai, and it was currently her turn to go grocery shopping. She had to keep what she bought to a minimum so that it would be able to fit on the back of her moped. She fished the shopping list out of her pocket and glanced through it. She already got the milk, lunch meats, and bread as well as some other things that she personally wanted. All that was left were a few things that the guys wanted.

First the teen went down the candy aisle to get some chocolate for Mello. He was about to run out and she certainly didn't want to put up with him in a bad mood. Luckily, Bambi managed to get the last box of his preferred brand of chocolate bars. Then she went to the next aisle and grabbed some peanut butter for Near. She walked down to the other end to get some more pancake mix for Matt, but upon further investigation it was out of stock. The young woman frowned as she fished her phone out of her pocket and dialed Matt's number. After a few moments, the redhead answered.

"Hey, what's up?"

"They're out of pancake mix," she told him. "Do you want something else?"

There was a short silence as he thought. "If they have any of those frozen waffles, that'd be good. Otherwise, don't worry about it."

"Alright. I'll see you later."

Bambi hung up the phone and made her way to the frozen section. Luckily, she was able to find some waffles. After putting them in her cart, she made her way to the cash register.

The brunette paid for the goods before making her way outside. She pushed the cart down the parking lot to where she had parked her moped and began unloading the groceries. After that, she returned the cart to its proper place. As the teen walked back to her moped, she heard someone cry out to her.

"Emily!"

Bambi raised an eyebrow at the sound of her To-Oh alias as she turned to see Kai running up to her. He tripped over his own feet, but managed to catch himself before his face met the pavement. When he finally reached the brunette, he was grinning ear to ear.

Kai could barely keep still as he excitedly spoke. "Thank you so much for all your help the other day. It worked out perfectly because now Kiyomi and I are officially dating!"

"Way to go, Kai!" She gave him a high five.

"Thanks! I really owe you," he began. "So, if you ever need my help with something, I'd be glad to lend a hand. Not that I really know what I could do, but the offer stands."

With that, he big Bambi a goodbye and scurried into the grocery store. She smiled before heading back to the house.


	22. Recruitment

*** * * May 10 * * ***

The sun was low in the sky by the time Light arrived at the most recent hotel to house the Task Force's headquarters. A frown was evident on the teen's face as he entered the elevator. His father had called him earlier to come and analyze a diary page that the second Kira sent to Sakura TV to be broadcast and all he could do was hope that moron didn't give too much away again.

Upon entering the suite Light saw the group on the far side of the room. L was sitting near the coffee table while Light's father stood next to him. Matsuda and Aizawa were standing on the other side of the table, the former looking like he was hiding something again.

_This must be another test,_ he reasoned.

The brunet's eyes narrowed slightly at the two large screens behind the group. The screen on the left had a white background with the black letter "D" written in the same font that was used for the fake Kira messages. The one on the right had the colors inverted and had "Coil" written on it in a font very similar to the one used by the Robin Hood Hacker.

_These must be the other people L said were working on the case,_ he deduced. _"D" must have recorded the message. Coil could be Robin Hood, though it could just be for show as another part of the test._

L smiled at Light as he gestured to the screens. "We will be having two other detectives helping us today, Deneuve and Eraldo Coil. We received a diary page that the second Kira wants to broadcast and I would like your opinions – yours too, Light."

As L picked up a piece of paper, the corners of Light's lips tugged into a frown. _The last thing he sent clued L into the existence of shinigami. That dumbass is going to get me caught if he keeps pulling this crap._

L turned to the screens and asked, "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Deneuve's mechanical voice answered.

"Yes," replied Coil using an automated voice.

L smiled. "Then we will begin. The second Kira sent a diary page from May of last year. The entry for the first says 'Already told a friend that I don't want to go to the festival in GW High School, but I got an invitation anyways.'

"May 4th: 'Went to the Super Arena with friend to see a concert.'

"May 5th: 'Last day of the break, nothing to do at home.'

"May 7th: 'School started, but I asked friends to take notes for me in class and I rested at home.'

"May 10th: 'Refused friends' invitation to a party. Yokohama is too far.'

"May 13th: 'Friend came to borrow my CD and I lent it to her.'

"May 16th: 'Forgot to do paper, so I copied from a friend.'

"May 19th: 'I haven't read Jump for a while. It's so interesting.'

"May 22nd: 'Met with a friend in Aoyama and looked at each other's notebooks.'

"May 23rd: 'Met with that guy in the school café again. He ate pork curry.'

"May 26th: 'Went shopping with friends in Shibuya and bought summer clothing.'

"May 28th: 'A new Playstation can out! Have to check it out!'

"May 30th: 'Saw shinigami at the Giants game in the Tokyo Dome.' And that is the last entry," he finished.

_L must be thinking that he wants to meet up on the 30th at the Tokyo Dome since the word shinigami is mentioned, but he must really want to meet up on the 22nd in Aoyama,_ Light realized.

After a moment, he spoke up. "Just like his last video, the term 'shinigami' is probably a keyword for Kira's method of killing. I think that he'll try to meet up with the original on the 30th at the Tokyo Dome."

Deneuve jumped in to explain, "There wasn't a game at the Dome last year on the 30th, but there is this year and it looks like tickets are still on sale."

_I thought so. That's the same voice scrambler that was used for the fake Kira messages,_ Light noted. _Deneuve must be the person or group who prepared them. I wonder, though, is this the same Deneuve who worked on Beyond Birthday's case or was it really Ryuzaki?_

This time Coil chimed in. "I'm pretty sure that broadcasting this list would freak people out. I don't think anyone's gonna go to any of these places on these days."

_Coil's voice scrambler sounds like a cross between L's and Robin Hood's,_ Light noted. _Maybe he really is working for L._

Deneuve argued, "Sure some people would freak out, but people are attracted to chaos. I think it'll be really busy at those places on those days."

After a moment Deneuve added, "Not to mention that not everyone keeps up with the news, so there's probably going to be people going on business as usual without knowing – well, except for maybe the game."

_So, Deneuve is a group of at least two people,_ Light determined.

L was silent for a moment before turning to Light. "What do you think?"

_I shouldn't say anything careless._ Light frowned. "Right now all I can say is that he's an idiot. If we broadcast this, the stadium will have to close."

"Yes, but if we don't broadcast it, he won't make a move," L added.

"But if he gets angry that we cancelled the game, there's no telling what he'll do," Matsuda commented.

"The second Kira practically worships Kira," Deneuve pointed out. "He said to your fake Kira in his last video that he wouldn't kill any more innocents, so I doubt he'd go against his word and risk pissing off Kira."

"Exactly, though I would have worded it differently," L commented. "We'll broadcast the diary page tonight and announce the cancelation of the game. Soichiro and Aizawa will go to the game in search of Kira anyway, but we should also have people go to Aoyama on the 22nd. There's something about that entry that stands out to me."

"I'll go with Matsuda," Light offered. "People my age hang out there anyway, so I'll stand out less."

With everything decided, Deneuve and Coil signed out. On the other side of the city, Bambi shut down her computer and walked out of the room with Near. Matt and Mello emerged from a room down the hall and the four prodigies made their way to the kitchen table.

The brunette leaned back in her seat. "So, who's going to follow Light around when he investigates those places?"

Near chimed in, "Mogi is already following Light everywhere. I'm sure he'll follow him then too."

"That's true, but I meant to help look for anything suspicious that might lead us to the second Kira."

"I don't think it's a big deal," Matt commented. "We'll have Mogi and Matsuda to... Okay, maybe someone should go."

Bambi glanced to Near and immediately ruled him out, knowing he can barely deal with being in public on a normal day let alone for a mission.

"I would love to, but he'll recognize me by my scar even if I wear a wig," Mello groaned.

The hackers of the group stared each other down, neither particularly wanting to take part in this mission.

"Rocks, paper, scissors? Loser follows him around," the redhead suggested.

Bambi grinned and raised her hand to play, but the computer geniuses were interrupted.

"Light knows Bambi. If he sees her there it might jeopardize her cover even further," Near brought up.

"Ah, crap. You're right," she grumbled. "Wait, he saw Matt once too, though."

Mello chimed in to suggest, "Just wear a hat and leave your goggles behind this time."

The redhead sighed. "Alright."

"Keep an eye on the women especially," Near added. "The second Kira is most likely one."

"No problem."

*** * * May 11 * * ***

Bleary-eyed students sat in Psychology 101 that Thursday morning, the majority of them hoping that their group wouldn't be volunteered by the professor to present first. He took a few minutes to set up the projector and his laptop before opening one of the presentations and taking a seat with the students.

"Kai and Riku, you're up first."

The two boys groaned quietly before rising and making their way to the front of the room.

After handing the remote to Riku, the professor addressed the class. "Make sure to pay attention to all the presentations and record your comments on your handout. You should also be given a few minutes to profile each criminal after going over the crimes." He then turned to the presenters. "Whenever you're ready..."

Kai took a deep breath and stood tall as he gestured to the projector screen. "Today we're going to teach you about the Robin Hood Hacker." He clicked to the next slide, which had a faded version of her symbol as the background. "He was really active for about two years and there are too many hacks to cover all of them in the time we're given, so we're just going to give you guys a brief summary of the important stuff."

"We are also going to point out any actions that the hacker took that are notably different from their other hacks," Riku added.

Kai smiled awkwardly and pointed to the list on the screen. "Robin Hood hacked into various well-known companies around the world like the Yotsuba Company – based here in Japan – and Lando Electronics – based in the United States. As you may recall, both of these corporations have bad reputations related to allegations of corruption, worker abuse, and the deaths and disappearances of whistleblowers. In each case, Robin Hood shut down their website and replaced it with his symbol and a list of suspicious activity the company engaged in."

He clicked to the next slide. "This is a screenshot of Yotsuba's website before they changed it back. Oh, he also showed their bank history, proving that there was corruption and that Yotsuba paid people to keep them quiet. He also linked to the local police's website – probably to encourage people to report Yotsuba, though his activity wasn't exactly legal either. Uh… Robin Hood also left a note explaining that a large amount of the Yotsuba CEO's money was wired to charity. And he pretty much did this to every major company that he hacked, though there is evidence that he took money incrementally before outing his targets publically."

He handed the remote to Riku, who went to the next slide, which had L's symbol as the background. "It wasn't until a year had passed and several companies had already been targeted by the Robin Hood Hacker when the famous Detective L – who is currently working on the Kira case – announced his involvement in tracking down the hacker. He used taunting methods similar to those used recently on Kira to track the Robin Hood Hacker down to a specific nation – though the truth of this has been questioned due to recent events. It was later revealed that the Pentagon – the headquarters of the United States' Department of Defense – was hacked by an unknown source. Many speculate that this was the work of the Robin Hood Hacker, though the lack of flamboyance behind the attack says otherwise."

Riku moved to the next slide before monotonously continuing. "From that point on, all major hacks included the aforementioned information as well as some form of taunt aimed at L. The Robin Hood Hacker continued in this manner until roughly two years ago when all activity came to an abrupt end. The hacker wasn't heard from again until last month when he hacked into Sakura TV and challenged the fake Kira. The real Kira tried to calm him in a message shortly after, though the Robin Hood Hacker has yet to make any sort of response."

Kai smiled and clapped his hands together. "So, we're going to give you guys a few minutes to profile Robin Hood before we tell you more."

The room went silent as students looked down at their handouts and began filling in the appropriate space with their profile. Bambi pursed her lips as she looked down at her paper. _If I'm going to do this, I might as well do it right and act like I know nothing._ She was silent for a few moments before putting her pencil to the paper and writing out her profile.

> "The Robin Hood Hacker is probably someone who saw the abuse first-hand, but was unable to do anything about it without losing his job. He most likely worked for the second company that he hacked, because he would be too fearful to hack his own company first and possibly be caught. Due to the timing of his attack on Sakura TV it is likely that he lives in Japan and that he watches the station often. Due to the typical content of the station, it is also likely that the hacker is actually a woman."

After the hacker finished, she put down her pencil and looked up. Light had just finished too and smiled at Bambi before glancing down to her answer in curiosity. The brunette frowned slightly and tried to get a glimpse of his answer. Before she could start reading, the Kira suspect nudged her arm and pointed up to the front of the room. As she redirected her attention, she saw Kai and Riku getting ready to start up again.

"Everybody good? Yes, no, maybe?" Kai asked as he glanced around the room with a smile. "Yes? Okay, good."

He clicked to the next slide, which showed two columns with bullet points. "So, our profiles pretty much matched up with the official ones, so we're going to give them both to you right now. We think that Robin Hood is most likely a middle-aged man who works for one of the first companies he hacked, because we figured that someone witnessing the problems on the inside would be most likely to act. At first, because of the many companies he hacked that were based in the US, the rest of the West, and the fact that he hacked into the Pentagon, we thought that he was American or English at the very least. But, thanks to Robin Hood hacking into Sakura TV with crazy-perfect timing – especially since it wasn't being streamed online – we think that he's actually Japanese."

"Or at least currently residing in Japan," Riku added. "Alternatively, there is also the possibility that Detective L is actually the Robin Hood Hacker. This can be evidenced by the fact that L's supposed investigation into the hacker increased the media coverage of the hacks, which led to greater coverage of the misdeeds of the companies hacked, thus working in the hacker's favor. As we can see by the detective's bold taunts to Kira this past winter, he also possesses the same childish qualities that the Robin Hood Hacker does. This theory is also supported by the Robin Hood Hacker denouncing Kira in public despite the fact that their ideals hold many similarities. This also leads to the theory that L is also Kira and using his detective name to bring media attention to Kira and now using his hacker name to do the same, but that is another debate for another day."

Kai clicked to the next slide, which simply listed their sources. "Questions, comments, concerns?"

Bambi snorted as she raised her hand before commenting, "That was very informative, but I disagree with you on the theory that L is also Robin Hood and Kira. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that a single person could – or even should – hold that much power and be able to get away with it."

Kai nodded his head, "Yeah, I thought it was a bit out there too."

"Ugh, open your eyes," Riku growled as he narrowed his own. "It's obvious that L is really the Robin Hood Hacker and Kira. You're just too naïve and foolish to admit it."

The young woman furrowed her eyebrows in irritation, though refrained from arguing back. Beside her, she could see that Light had tensed somewhat too.

"Fine, whatever," she grumbled before adding, "I have one more question. What makes you so certain that the hacker is male and not female? Or was that just a default decision?"

"Uh, I didn't really think about it," Kai admitted. "I guess it could really be either."

"There's no way a girl would be that good at hacking, it just doesn't happen," Riku butted in.

Bambi's eyebrow twitched. "What are you implying, Uchida? That girls can't be good at something you like?"

He smirked at the hacker. "Girls just don't have the level of intelligence needed to succeed in such a field, but I wouldn't expect you to understand that."

She snorted as she smiled a Cheshire grin at him. "I'm sorry, who has the best grade in programming right now? Oh that's right, I do."

Riku opened his mouth to argue, but he was stopped by the professor. "That's enough. Riku show some respect for your fellow students."

The teen folded his arms and pouted as he stuck his nose in the air.

After a short silence, Light raised his hand. "Back to Emily's original question, if you look closely at the wording of the messages that Robin Hood left, it matches to the speech patterns of a typical woman."

The Kai smiled and nodded before asking, "Anyone else?"

Light raised his hand again. "Your presentation was well done, but I have to disagree with your profile almost entirely. Yes, it would be the easiest explanation if Robin Hood worked for one of those companies, but don't forget that the corruption and abuse were being covered in the news and social media. It would be easy for someone outside the company to hear about it, and a hacker would find no trouble getting into their systems to find the truth. Not only that, but I think that Robin Hood is actually a young adult, maybe even a teenager, because young people still believe that they can change the world and have less of a sense of consequences. Most middle-aged men would be far too concerned with keeping their jobs to try to dole out vigilante justice."

Bambi frowned at the accuracy of his profile.

Kai shrugged as he scratched his head. "Sure, that sounds like a good theory to me."

"No, it sounds idiotic," Riku huffed as he narrowed his eyes at Light. "Such advanced hacking is far too difficult for a child to learn. The Robin Hood Hacker has to be an adult with many years of experience."

The professor jumped in. "Settle down, we still need to get a few more presentations done today. We can debate about the profiles if we have time in the end of the semester. You did an excellent job, boys."

The class applauded for the pair as they sat down. The next group in line to present took their place soon after.

~o~

That afternoon Bambi found herself back at the house with Near. Matt and Mello were both out working on their respective aspects of the case, but the Coil's were stuck in the house with sifting through heart attack deaths again. The brunette had her laptop opened in front of her to use the program she and Matt had written to narrow down the list before she and Near went through it case by case. It was silent for a while before a voice broke through.

"What is it?" Near asked.

"Huh?" Bambi looked back up to find him pouting slightly.

"I have known you long enough to know when you're distracted," he explained. "And I know that we're not going to get anything done until you're focused again. So, what's wrong?"

She smiled and laughed halfheartedly. "Something's always on my mind, Near, you should know that by now."

"This is different," he mumbled.

The brunette's smile slowly dissipated. "I don't know... Some kids in class did their presentation on me, so I've been thinking of my days as Robin Hood."

Near frowned. "You can't do that anymore unless it's for work. You need to accept that." His eyebrows furrowed somewhat as he warned, "If you don't and continue your work after your contract with L expires, I will catch you. Please don't make that necessary."

She sighed. "I know. I'm working on that." After a moment she added, "They compared me to Kira."

"What you did as Robin Hood and what Kira is doing are very similar. You both broke the law to do what you thought was right – an 'ends justifies the means' mentality," he told her. "Though, you have changed considerably since then."

Bambi chuckled and flashed him a weak smile. "I was afraid you were gonna say that."

*** * * May 16 * * ***

The class applauded as Kiyomi and her partner sat down.

"And last, but certainly not least, we have Emily and Light," the professor stated as he turned to them.

The pair of students headed to the front of the room and opened their presentation before taking their places on either side of the projector screen. After the class settled down, the professor handed the remote to Light and let him begin.

"Emily and I will be talking about the serial killer, Beyond Birthday," Light began. "He is responsible for the Wara Ningyo murders in Los Angeles a few years ago, and is thought to be responsible for the Encryption murders in Los Angeles over the past year."

He switched to the next slide, which was a small collage of the autopsy reports of Beyond's victims.

"He killed three people in the Wara Ningyo murders," Bambi explained. "In each case, he sent a crossword puzzle to the Los Angeles Police Department which, when solved, contained the identity of his next victim as well as when and where the victim would be killed. The LAPD were unable to solve the puzzles and eventually called in L for help. His victims were each of different ages, sexes, and ethnicities, and they were all killed using different methods. What connected them together was that in each case the crime scenes were wiped perfectly clean of fingerprints, the solved crossword puzzles identified them as victims, wara ningyo dolls – voodoo dolls – were nailed to the walls of the bedroom, and the room locked from the inside."

She took a deep breath upon noticing her trembling fingers and continued. "His first victim had four dolls nailed to the walls of the room. The second had three dolls, and the third had two dolls. His fourth supposed victim was actually himself. He nailed one doll to the wall to identify the killer, locked the door, and attempted to burn his own body. He was arrested just before his suicide and convicted of the three murders. He was spared the death penalty and pleaded insanity."

Light smiled at her before taking over. "He escaped prison last summer, but it was covered up until after the Encryption murders had stopped. Similar to his last set of murders, Birthday's victims were all of different ages, sexes, and ethnicities, the crime scenes were all wiped clean of fingerprints, and his method of killing was different in each case. Rather than sending crossword puzzles ahead of time, he left encrypted messages at the scene of each of his murders. This prompted another famous detective, Deneuve, to work on the case."

He turned to a new slide which listed each of the crimes. "He killed a total of twelve people this time, beginning this past June. He initially killed every three weeks, but he accelerated as the year went on. This pattern kept up until everything changed in December. Then, he killed two people in a single night-"

The pools of blood in the victim's kitchen flashed across her mind's eye. A bloody hammer was placed on the counter next to a sheet of paper with an encoded message printed on it. Bambi felt a strong pit of dread settle in her stomach. She placed a shaky hand against the door frame to stabilize herself, the sheer amount of blood making her feel faint.

Light's voice sounded far away as it broke through her trance.

"-going on to kidnap and torture-"

Bambi's vision shifted again to the dark room that she was once imprisoned in as Beyond dragged her across the room and back to the chains after her escape attempt.

_"I tried being nice to you, I really did,"_ he shrieked. _"But here you are, rejecting my hospitality. You've hurt my feelings, Amelia, and you will be punished for that."_

She could feel her real body tense as the vision of Beyond dragged his blade through her flesh. Searing pain engulfed the teen's senses as he tortured her with his knife and repeated her name over and over. She gritted her teeth as she tried to get a hold of herself, but she kept succumbing to the reality of the flashback.

Her muscles began to relax and the vision began to fade as she felt a warm hand settle on her back. Another hand gently wrapped around hers as her senses fully returned to the classroom. Bambi was greeted with the vision of her classmates writing in their packets. When her attention shifted to the hands on her body again, she turned to face the source.

Light appeared to force a small smile as he released her hand. "You should have told me that you were nervous. We don't have much more to go over, but I'll pick up where you stop if you need me to."

_Damn it. Why now?_ She swallowed hard as she tried to calm herself before smiling nervously at him. "Sorry, I thought I'd be fine."

Upon looking back out at the crowd, Bambi noticed that many of the students were done writing their profiles of Beyond. The presenters returned to their respective spots and waited another few minutes for the class to be ready for their presentation to continue. Light clicked to the next slide which had Beyond's mugshot.

"This is Beyond Birthday," Light began. "He has no known records until his arrest for the Wara Ningyo murders, and no one has come out to claim to know who he really is or where he is from. This has led to many speculations as strange as the theory that he is a demon. Birthday never admitted to a motive for any of his crimes, so our profile is mostly speculation."

Bambi took Light's pause as her cue to continue. "As I pointed out before, his victims had nothing connecting them, making it clear that he didn't care who he killed. Those who spoke with him during his trial and the guards at his prison all agreed that despite his apparent insanity, he was a genius. It is apparent that he had OCD or some sort of obsessive tendencies. This can be shown by the fact that he perfectly cleaned the crime scenes as well as his obsessive behaviors toward L, jam, and puzzles."

Light picked up again. "Birthday's murders were all clearly very impersonal, so that's why the kidnapping and torture incident stands out. He spent three long days giving a single person attention in a very personal crime. This person either meant a lot to him or she represented someone he hated, perhaps an ex-girlfriend or an abusive mother."

_I want to keep this topic as far away from me as possible._ Bambi added, "He probably started losing what little sanity he had left. This is clear in the fact that his actions get more dramatic and unexpected near the end."

"Any questions?"

The room was silent except for a few coughs. _Not surprising since it was mostly just me and Light making comments on all the others._ After a few moments, Bambi and Light returned to their seats.

The professor stood to address the class. "Everyone did a great job. I'll get your grades back to you by Friday. Class dismissed."

*** * * May 19 * * ***

The afternoon sun shined through the windows of the Criminal Justice building as Bambi walked through the long hallways. Her essay on Beyond Birthday was handed back earlier that morning along with a rubric that contained her grades on the essay and presentation, student comments and profiles, and a note from the professor. He wanted her to come to his office later that day to discuss something, though he didn't reveal the topic.

As the brunette rounded the final corner, she noticed someone else making his way to the professor's office and raised an eyebrow.

"Light? What are you doing here?"

He mirrored her expression before smiling. "The professor asked me to stop by today."

"Oh, me too."

The both of them knocked on the door and waited for a moment before it was opened and the professor let them inside.

"Thank you two for coming today. Please have a seat." He gestured to two chairs in front of his desk before taking his seat behind it.

Bambi and Light sat down and looked up at the professor expectantly as he smiled at them.

"I was impressed by your outstanding work not only on your own assignments but also on your comments and the profiles you wrote for the other presentations," he told the pair. "As you know, I'm the head of the Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Pre-Law Department. Every year I select a few students to enroll in the accelerated program which gets students jobs with the NPA by their third year along with other such opportunities. I have chosen the two of you as my first choices for the positions."

He picked up two manila folders from his desk and handed one to each of the students. At a glance Bambi could tell that it was filled with information about the program and forms should she choose to accept.

The professor's voice redirected her attention to him again. "Think about your decisions and get back to me by the end of the month."

They thanked him for the opportunity before leaving and heading toward the elevator.

"So, what do you think?" Light began. "Are you going to enroll in the program?"

_I should probably play it safe._ She shrugged. "Maybe? I don't know. I need to think about it."

As they entered the elevator, she asked, "What about you?"

He smiled confidently. "I'm going to go over the details first, but I'll most likely choose to enroll."

Bambi nodded in acknowledgement and everything fell silent as the elevator descended. As the pair made their way to the exit, she noticed him smiling at her as his eyes trailed up and down her body. He opened the door for the young woman before following her outside. She paused for a moment to admire the fountain in the courtyard as Light took his place beside her.

"I really enjoyed spending time with you on the project," he began. "I would like it if we got to know each other better in a less work-oriented setting."

The brunette raised an eyebrow at him.

Light smiled warmly at her. "Would you like to go out with me this weekend? Maybe go to a restaurant and see a movie, or something like that?"

"Oh, uh..." She smiled awkwardly. "I'm actually kinda busy this weekend."

A small frown tugged at the corners of his lips. "Oh, I see." He smiled again. "That's alright. Maybe we can get together some other time."

She rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, maybe next time."

They exchanged goodbyes before heading their separate ways.

~o~

Later that night, Light was in his room finishing Kira's work for the day. He smiled to himself as he paused and leaned back in his chair. Ryuk tilted his head at this strange behavior.

"What's got you so happy?"

"I have finally come to a decision," he explained. "I'm going to recruit 'Emily' to work with me as Kira."

Ryuk laughed. "That's surprising. Didn't you say that you think she's that hacker who works for L?"

"I'm almost certain that that's her true identity. Emily worked with the 'other L's' as Deneuve on Beyond Birthday's case – that much is clear," Light told the shinigami. "I know that she was his victim. He probably found out that L wasn't on the case and took her as compensation for his rage."

There was a short silence before Ryuk commented, "I still don't understand why you would trust her to work with you, but it would only make things more interesting if you were wrong about it."

Light laughed and shook his head. "The Robin Hood Hacker has ideals very similar to Kira. If I remind her of those ideals, I can convince her to work with me. L must have caught her and forced her to work with him as an alternative to exposing her and sending her to prison. It would explain why Robin Hood disappeared and came back only to speak out against the second Kira. Whether she agrees with L or not, she has to work for him. It would only benefit her to be rid of L altogether, and I will be able to do that. If she works with me, she can help me get his name and we can both be rid of him." His grin extended as he added, "I'll be her savior on two occasions, then."

He paused for a moment as he intertwined his fingers. "She would be a good asset for her hacking abilities and as a potential insider to L and his associates. She could also be useful as a potential girlfriend. It would only be fitting to have someone with my ideals, her hacking skills, and her intelligence by my side."

Light looked to the side as he smiled fondly. "Emily acts to aloof and laid back, but she is clearly strong and stubborn. Someone so relaxed would be good working under so much pressure with me to cleanse the world. I would rather have her on my side than against me."

The shinigami cackled. "Such strong words for a girl whose real name you don't even know."

"She'll tell me – it will only be a matter of time. I'll reveal myself after she does," Light explained with a smile as he turned to his computer. "Besides, it won't be an issue for long."

His screen lit up with a notification.

> _New message from softballginger: "Her name is…"_


	23. Protection

*** * * May 24 * * ***

The moon was high as Bambi sat at the table and worked on her homework with her laptop opened in front of her. Near was sitting beside his partner, sipping on some tea. It had been a few days since the brunette rejected Light, and his behavior has noticeably changed while they were together at school. He was practically glued to her hip – even more than before. He was clearly trying harder to woo her and it was getting borderline annoying at this point.

As she focused on one set of definitions, her laptop glowed with Watari's symbol. "Ryuzaki, another package was sent to Sakura TV. According to the stamp, it was sent last night with rush shipping. I'm streaming the video to you now."

The screen switched to the second Kira's signature symbol as his voice scrambler read out, "I have found Kira. Thank you to everyone at the TV station and the police station."

With the long silence that followed, Bambi realized that L must not have the microphone plugged into his computer.

Near mentioned, "The only possible location is Aoyama."

Bambi frowned. "Light went to all of our classes that day, so he couldn't have been there until later in the day. Since the package was sent at night, it's possible that he is the person the second Kira is referring to."

"It is a possibility," he admitted. "We should look over the Aoyama recordings more closely for clues."

She nodded as Near stood to inform the others. The brunette sighed as she looked down at her homework before pursing her lips and rushing to get it done in time to help the others.

*** * * May 29 * * ***

Bambi's three colleagues have been hard at work over the past several days, painstakingly going over every second of footage from each of the recordings. Meanwhile, the hacker had been keeping a careful eye on Light. The immediate days after the video arrived he had appeared visibly more stressed, and he seemed even worse following the weekend. Given the lack of any significant events, she wondered what had soured his already awful moods. Still, he remained following the teen around in attempts to get to know more about her.

Bambi was sitting next to Light in their programming lecture, absentmindedly looking down at an empty page in her notebook. No matter what she did, her mind continued to drift to what she had learned the previous day. L had called to inform everyone that if he died soon, Light was certainly Kira. He told her that it would be up to Soichiro to get him to confess and her to arrest him if this were the case.

The teen pouted as she tightened her grip on her pencil. Her nerves were tightly wound as she waited to hear any news about the Aoyama tapes. She would much rather be joining the rest of the Wammy boys in doing that than sitting here with Light. True, if he were Kira, it would be important for her to keep an eye on him, but she couldn't know for sure that that was the case. Even if it were, she felt horribly unproductive just sitting around playing babysitter to a man who was mentally out of her league.

A sudden hand on hers drew her attention out of her thoughts. Bambi turned to face Light, who was smiling comfortingly at her.

"I know that you find this class boring, but you're never this distracted," he whispered. "What's bothering you?"

The brunette frowned as she pulled her hand away. "It's work-related."

He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you worked."

She winced as she caught her mistake. "That's the problem. I can't get a job anywhere."

He nodded. "I could help you look."

"I appreciate the thought, but it's something I would rather accomplish on my own," she told him.

Their short conversation ended just before the professor dismissed the class.

As Bambi gathered her things, Light suggested, "Why don't we get a quick breakfast together before my next class."

She had half the mind to refuse, but her growling stomach said otherwise. Besides, he always seemed to try to pay for her anyway.

"Sure."

As they began to walk across the campus, Light explained, "I was thinking that we could just stop at the café since it's close by and I have another class in an hour."

"Sounds good to me."

The two of them were silent for a while before they passed a bench with someone very noticeable sitting on it – L.

He looked up from his book and smiled at the pair of students. "Light, Emily. Good afternoon."

Bambi scrunched her nose and raised an eyebrow. "Ryuga? I thought you dropped out?"

L smiled mischievously. "You could say that."

Light tensed somewhat as all enjoyment washed from his face.

He forced a smile as he turned to the young woman beside him. "Emily, I need to talk to him alone about something. Let's meet up again later."

Before she could so much as open her mouth, L intervened. "She can stay. I only wanted to take a walk and decided to come to campus. It's so nice here." As he stood, he asked, "Want to get some cake?"

Light frowned. "Actually, Emily and I were just going to-"

"Light! There you are!"

Bambi noticed Light's eyes widen in fear as he whipped around to see a blonde girl in gothic Lolita clothing standing behind him.

She smiled and leaned forward as she explained, "I came to this area for a photo shoot, so I just dropped by to see you."

The blonde caught the brunette's curious gaze and immediately scowled. "Who are you?"

Before Bambi could speak, Light stepped between the two women and told the blonde, "This is my friend, Emily. I bet you would like her."

The hacker pouted as she narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. _What, is today interrupt Amy day?_

The blonde pouted. "Oh. You're that Emily." She then turned to L and immediately brightened up. "Are you Light's friend? You look so unique." The blonde sent a snide look in Bambi's direction as she told him, "I'm Light's girlfriend, Misa Amane."

The brunette raised an amused eyebrow. _Jealous, much?_ A few moments passed before she sent a judgmental glance toward her classmate. _Not that I blame her considering he's still trying to flirt with me._

L bowed as he introduced himself by his To-Oh alias.

Misa raised an eyebrow. "Eh? Ryuga Hideki?"

Light smiled as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, his name is exactly the same as that celebrity's. Interesting, isn't it?"

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows at the strange interaction before noticing L's brief glance to her.

He then smiled at the blonde. "Light, I envy you. I'm a big fan of Misa's after reading the March issue of 18!"

Misa jumped up and down excitedly as she began to chatter away with L, unaware of the baffled expressions of the teen geniuses beside her. Bambi tried to conceal her reaction as her eyes widened. _She's about the same build as the woman who ran from the hotel. Is she why L's here?_

It wasn't long before students began to notice and crowd around the model, chattering away in excitement. The crowd prevented Bambi from making any sort of escape, trapping her a few feet behind Light.

A few minutes into the chaos, Misa screamed, "Ah! Who touched my butt?"

The brunette could barely see L step forward as he declared, "I won't allow such actions in the school. I'll take responsibility for catching him!"

Just as the blonde began to thank him, an older woman grabbed her wrist. "Misa, hurry up and go to the studio! You'll be late again!"

The model apologized to her manager before following her away from the crowd. Misa paused for a moment as she looked back and narrowed her eyes at Bambi.

Then she smiled and waved. "Goodbye, Light! I'll see you after work."

With her exit complete, the students began to disperse. Bambi heard bits and pieces as they discussed how pretty she was. Soon, all that was left were her, Light, and L.

The eldest made eye contact with the hacker and nodded slightly before smiling at Light. "We're in the same Corrections class later, right?"

The brunet nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you later."

As L began to walk away, Light turned to face Bambi. "Sorry about that. She's… overly enthusiastic. Do you still want to get breakfast?"

She smiled. "Hey, don't worry about it. I've got friends like that back home too. Anyway, I'm up for it if you are."

"I just need to make a call before we head to the café." He checked his watch before adding, "It looks like we'll have just enough time to get it to go if we hurry."

He took a few steps back before pulling his phone out of his pocket. As Bambi waited for him to complete his business, she found herself looking off in the direction that L had just left in. She tilted her head as she noticed the great detective standing there at the end of the block, watching them from afar.

A bubbly tune loudly sounded off from L's direction. The young woman stifled a giggle as he smiled before turning and answering the phone. To her other side, she noticed Light turn to locate the sound, eyes wide.

After a short pause, Light narrowed his eyes. "Ryuga, what are you doing?"

There was another short silence before he frowned and mumbled something about Misa. Whatever he said prompted L to hang up and approach him. Bambi watched as L handed the phone to Light before another one began to ring.

L answered it and paused for a moment as he listened. "It's done? Ok, good."

After hanging up, he turned to face Light. "This may be good or bad news for you. Misa Amane had been arrested as the prime suspect for the second Kira."

As he went into detail about the evidence that led to her, Bambi realized that Mello must have been out over the past week gathering that evidence from her residence. She smiled slightly to herself. _So, he hasn't been avoiding me?_

"Since she's a celebrity, the official charge is drug possession." L addressed the brunette as he added, "If you speak a word of what you just heard, you will be arrested."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What?!"

"You can't do that," Light argued. "She hasn't done anything wrong!"

L narrowed his eyes slightly. "I have more power than you realize."

The Kira suspect was silent as L walked off. When Bambi looked over to him, his eyes were narrowed and his fists were clenched.

She hesitated for a moment before asking, "What just happened?"

Light frowned as he explained, "Ryuga isn't who he claims to be. Even though there's nothing illegal about you saying what you heard, you should take his threat seriously."

He checked his watch again. "We'll have to take a rain check on that breakfast. I'll see you later."

The young man then rushed off toward the campus, leaving Bambi alone.

*** * * May 31 * * ***

The Wammy teams had been watching Misa's confinement over the past few days, though Bambi still had to go to class to keep an eye on Light. He had been a bit more distant ever since his girlfriend's arrest.

All yesterday, Misa acted incredibly defensive and made some statements that heavily implied that she was the second Kira, but her behavior made a complete 180 this morning. She began to act more accusatory and innocent, acting as if she was kidnapped by a stalker, not arrested.

When Bambi woke up that morning, she was informed that Light was now under voluntary confinement because he feared that he might be Kira. With him gone, the Wammy teams were now allowed to return to headquarters with the rest of the task force. Everyone was currently in their room packing their things as Watari made his way to the house to help them all move back in.

Bambi and Near shared a comfortable silence as they packed their belongings. It wasn't until the young man was finished when he broke the silence.

"The case will likely end soon and our teams will go our separate ways."

The brunette frowned as she thought to the men on the other side of the wall. Whether she liked it or not, she had grown attached to them over the past several months. Now that she thought about it, she had been with them for almost half a year now, and she really didn't want to say goodbye.

A vision of Mello flashed across her mind's eye. Bambi's cheeks flushed a bright pink as she mentally admired his toned body and cool smile. Sure they started off with a rocky relationship, but he was nicer now. Or... he was for a while.

She sighed.

Ever since they moved into the house, it seemed like he had been avoiding her. Yes, his overbearing attitude just before that was annoying, but this bothered her on a more emotional level. She knew that he had been working hard on the case ever since he healed enough to be active, but she never saw him anymore. On the rare days she did, he wouldn't pay her much attention. She just wished that she didn't have to leave on that note.

As Bambi began to carefully pack her computer away, her thoughts turned to his red-haired partner. She smiled softly as Matt and his goofy smile flashed across her mind's eye. He seemed to be the rational one of the pair and he had her back more often than not, even trying to calm Mello when he wanted to kill her that first week. A quiet chuckle escaped her lips as she recalled skipping down the halls with him on her birthday and trying on her goggles next to him in the mirror. He always seemed to cheer her up when she needed it.

She pursed her lips as she looked down.

When they moved into this house, she and Matt made a deal to help each other get over their addictions. He was already down to half a pack less than he started thanks to Bambi's encouragement. Given his past failed attempts to quit over the past few years, she doubted that Mello would help him when they left. Even then, she wondered how she would fare. She was able to talk to Matt every time she got the urge to hack, and even just venting to him helped her stay away from it. Given Near's threat when she tried to talk to him about it, she doubted that he would so easily listen to her fears again.

Bambi sighed as she looked up at Near. "It'll be weird going back to our tiny team again after all this time."

He cracked a smile. "You're going to miss him."

Her face flushed bright red. "H-How did you know?"

Near shook his head, enjoying seeing his partner so flustered. "You are horrible at concealing your emotions, Bambi."

Matt peeked into the room to announce, "Watari's here, guys. It's time to get going." He paused to raise an eyebrow at the brunette. "Hey, you okay?"

She froze and smiled awkwardly. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. I'll meet you guys out there."

The redhead thought for a moment as he glanced to Near, who was visibly amused by the situation, before nodding and leaving the room.

After everyone's things were finally packed and ready to go, the Wammy Teams made the return trip to the newest hotel to house the task force. Watari led them into the room where they were greeted with faces they hadn't seen in weeks, all gathered around a cluster of televisions.

Matsuda was the first to smile and approach the small group. "It's so nice to see you guys again." He paused for a moment as he looked from Bambi to Mello. "Wow, you guys look so much better now. I can barely see your scars."

The brunette looked over to Mello, noting that he was wearing his leather vest again. Come to think of it, she could only see some scar tissue around his joints and the edges of his face. She knew that her own scars had been healing nicely, leaving only faint outlines for the deepest and longest.

After putting her belongings away in one of the bedrooms, she reemerged and took her place with the group behind L.

The great detective smiled at her as he asked, "So, what's it like to have your boyfriend be Kira?"

His comment caused a stir in the task force. Matsuda audibly gasped while Mello folded his arms and looked away. Matt raised a curious eyebrow as he looked to her for confirmation.

Bambi rolled her eyes. _Some things never change._ "We never even dated. He just wouldn't leave me alone."

*** * * June 18 * * ***

Nearly three weeks have passed since the Wammy Teams moved back in with the task force. Everyone was watching the confinements of Misa, Light, and Soichiro. Bambi tried to keep her eyes from straying to Misa's screens for too long because the blonde's distressed reactions to her restraints reminded the brunette of her time as Beyond's prisoner.

Only a few days after volunteering for confinement, Light backed off on fearing that he was Kira, claiming that it was a ridiculous idea and that he didn't want to do the confinement anymore. L was stubborn about it and refused to let him skip out early. It seemed to be a good choice on his part because no new Kira murders have occurred since Light's confinement began.

Bambi frowned as she looked away from the screens.

Matt stopped and lightly touched her arm. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She glanced around the room at the faces of the detectives around her before sighing and directing the redhead to follow her to the corner of the room.

Once there, she held her arms together and whispered, "I know I shouldn't let this bother me, but no matter how annoying he got, Light is still my friend. I don't want to see him get the death penalty. I know that he's Kira, but I can't get past seeing him as a regular person."

Matt sighed before putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, prompting her to release her arms as he whispered, "Hey, don't blame yourself. When you're around somebody a lot, you get close to them and start to care about them – whether you're supposed to or not. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably be in the same boat."

Bambi smiled up at him in a silent thank-you, drawing out a smile from the redhead.

Their conversation was interrupted by Aizawa, who shouted out, "I just got word that two weeks' worth of criminals were just killed with heart attacks."

Bambi and Matt rushed to the group and looked to the screens to find that Light and Misa were acting the same as they were earlier that morning.

_Maybe it really wasn't them?_ Bambi sighed. _Either way, the world is still in danger._

Her digital trail may have been gone, but her paper trail wasn't. If Kira ever got his hands on that, he could use her to get to the rest of the task force. It would put her life in danger along with all the people she ever cared about. To keep her friends safe, both past and present, she would need to kill her paper trail.

Later that night, when most of the task force was asleep, Bambi approached Watari.

"I need your help."

*** * * June 25 * * ***

A week had passed since Bambi asked Watari for his help. Kira had continued in his old pattern every day since then. The brunette was currently standing at the back of the group as they watched the prisoners. The door creaked as it closed behind someone, drawing everyone's attention to it.

Watari had just walked in with a paper bag in his hands. "Bambi, your IDs are ready."

He walked up to her and handed over the bag. She peered inside to get a glimpse of her new fake Interpol IDs.

"One has your personal information on it and the other has your alias," he explained.

She thanked him before turning to face L.

"What are you planning to do?" he asked.

The young woman frowned slightly before admitting, "I need to get rid of my paper trail, so I'm heading home for a bit. My flight leaves in about a week."

L was silent for a moment before nodding. "Very well, but you shouldn't go alone."

Bambi nodded before turning to face the two people she had grown most attached to. "Mello? Matt?"

Matt smiled. "I'll go! It'll be fun," he said as he stood. "I'm bored of just sitting around here anyway."

She returned his smile and thanked him before turning toward the blond with a raised eyebrow.

He frowned and looked away. "I can't."

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows as the corners of her lips tugged down.

Matt frowned slightly before looking to Mello. "Come on, man. It'll be fun, just the three of us."

Mello narrowed his eyes as he growled, "I said no. It's more important for me to stay here and finish this case."

He whipped around in his seat to focus on the screens again, but not before sending a short glare to Near. The fluffy-haired teen frowned and looked down slightly.

Bambi pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes for a few moments before taking a deep breath and telling Matt, "See if you can get your hands on another ticket. Mine's in my dresser. You can reference that for the flight."

He nodded. "Roger that."

The redhead made his way to one of the bedrooms as L addressed the young woman. "I commissioned a building for headquarters a while ago. It will be ready by July 10th. I'll have all of your belongings shipped there to your room."

Matt emerged from the bedroom with Bambi's ticket as everyone looked at L in surprise. The head detective gave them the address before the hackers dispersed into their own rooms.

*** * * June 30 * * ***

It was late at night, stars hanging above as most of the task force sat around their screens. The two hackers were missing from the group as they prepared for their trip. Bambi was in the bedroom she claimed as her own as she finished putting her folded clothes into her suitcase. She reached into the drawer to see if there was anything left. Her fingers dragged across the wooden bottom until they hit something smooth and cool to the touch. The teen furrowed her eyebrows picked the object up to discover that it was the goggles that Matt had gotten her.

She stood there for a moment as she glanced over the white, glossy surface, only pausing over the lenses to gaze at her saddened reflection. A knock on the door drew her out of her thoughts.

Bambi carefully placed the goggles with her luggage as she called out, "Come in."

She zipped up her suitcase before taking a seat next to it on the bed. The door opened and shut as Matt let himself in.

"Hey," he began as he awkwardly rubbed his arm. "Mind if I sit?"

The brunette shrugged. "Go ahead."

He nodded before taking his place next to her. The pair of hackers glanced at each other before leaning forward and looking down at their feet.

A few moments of dreaded silence passed before Matt sighed and looked up at her. "I know you're upset about Mello, but he didn't mean it personally. He just gets competitive with Near, and the most important thing to him right now is showing L that he can handle his title."

Bambi sighed. "I know."

The redhead sat up straight as he looked back down. "It always seems to turn out this way whenever someone likes him." He looked up again. "Just know that this isn't your fault."

A sad smile rose to her lips as she nodded. "It still kinda sucks, though."

"I know." He put a comforting hand on her back. "It'll be okay. Maybe he'll turn around this time and see what he's missing."

The brunette took a deep breath before smiling up at him. A few moments passed before she felt his fingers trembling slightly on her back.

She frowned. "Are you okay? I can get you some carrots, if you want."

Matt returned his hand to his lap as he assured her, "I'm fine. I'm just trying to do one less today." He was silent for a moment before adding, "It's a lot easier than it was two months ago. One pack down, one to go."

Bambi gently placed her hand on his. "Don't push yourself."

"I won't."

He smiled at her for a few moments before his eyes went wide and he jumped up. "Oh shit! We have to get going or we'll miss our flight."

He ran to his room to get his suitcase as Bambi grabbed hers and met him at the door. They rushed to the car and threw their luggage in the trunk before speeding off toward the airport. After a few minutes, their panic subsided.

Matt smiled at her briefly as he asked, "So, what's the game plan?"

"We're going to get my physical records from my old school and orphanage. Maybe we'll stop at Wammy's too if you guys still have stuff there," she explained. "It's too risky to leave all that stuff out there with Kira still this active."

The redhead smiled to himself. "I'm actually really excited for this trip. It'll be fun getting to know more about you."

She frowned before warily asking, "Me as in Robin Hood?"

"No, you as in Bambi," he assured her. "What you did as Robin Hood is cool and all, but Bambi is my friend who I care a lot about."

The brunette smiled at him. "Yeah? Well, maybe we could swap stories along the way. I'm not sure how long we'll be gone, but we'll probably have some spare time."

Matt returned the smile. "I'd like that."


	24. Ghosts of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Matt's official name is listed as "Mail", but given that it's pronounced "Mile" in Japanese, I decided to go with Miles as his real name.

*** * * July 2 * * ***

Bambi and Matt made it to Iowa early yesterday morning, exhausted. After taking a taxi to a hotel on the outskirts of her hometown, the both of then spent the day resting and planning. Unfortunately, the teens were unable to get a rental car for the course of their stay because neither of them were old enough.

Bambi led Matt down the sidewalk as they walked to her old school. As the brunette looked around at the scenery, she smiled. Everything was just as she remembered it being during this time of year. It was hot and humid, both computer geeks opting to wear shorts and light shirts.

School wasn't in session anymore, the eldest class having already graduated. A sigh escaped the brunette's lips as she wondered how her friends were doing.

The pair walked in silence for a few minutes before passing an old playground on a hill. A warm smile graced the young woman's lips as she looked up at it.

Matt raised an eyebrow and smiled. "What are you thinking about?"

"I have a lot of fond memories of this place," she confessed. "I used to come out here with my friends often. During the summer, we would sneak out at night and go stargazing from the top of the hill. I got caught a few times, but they were pretty lenient about it."

"You stargaze?"

"It was more Melinda's thing than mine, but it was fun to tag along," she explained. "Plus with two against one we were able to drag Kato along most of the time."

He laughed. "I know the feeling. Mello used to drag me out to the chocolate store all the time, but I never got as into it as he is."

"He's practically obsessed," she commented with an awkward smile as her mind returned to her rejected crush.

Matt bit his lips and glanced to the side when he realized his mistake.

A few moments passed before he asked, "So, what else did you do around here?"

She smiled up at him as she reminisced. "One time I climbed to the top of the playground and started a snowball fight with a bunch of kids from my class. It wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. I slipped off and broke my arm, but it was still a fun day." She paused for a moment before adding, "It was only a year or two before I started the whole Robin Hood thing."

Her companion nodded his head before asking, "Hey, does anyone here actually know the truth about what happened to you?"

She shook her head. "Officially, I was caught illegally downloading movies and music. Then I was adopted by the head detective and moved away."

The redhead pursed his lips and nodded. "Oh yeah! I've been meaning to ask, why did you get two badges from Watari?"

"The one with my real name is for the people who know me," Bambi explained as she directed him to turn toward the school. "The other one is for everyone else."

The brunette led him into the building and down to the office. Inside, there were several desks and a few back rooms, but only one other person was present. A middle-aged woman looked up at the pair of teens from behind her desk and raised an eyebrow.

"You seem familiar," she admitted. "Can I help you?"

Bambi smiled. "I used to go to school here until two years ago. I'm working for Interpol now and I need all my old student records."

The secretary furrowed her eyebrows. "Aren't you a little young to be working for them? I'm going to need some proof."

The hacker pulled out one of her fake IDs and handed it to her.

The woman scrutinized the badge before standing. "I'll be right back with the files you requested."

She disappeared into a back room for a few minutes before returning with a large manila folder and handing it over. Bambi thumbed through the files to make sure they were hers before thanking the secretary and putting the folder in her bag.

She and Matt were silent as they walked out of the building.

Once far enough away, the redhead smiled. "Well, that was easy."

The brunette smiled and laughed. "Yeah, I'm actually surprised."

He nodded. "Me too."

Matt clutched his stomach as it loudly growled. "We should stop to get something to eat. I'm starving."

Bambi stifled a laugh. "We can stop somewhere on the way back."

He nodded again as the two of them pressed on in relative silence. The young woman smiled again as they passed the playground.

"Amy!" a feminine voice called out.

Bambi froze and turned around only to be tackled in a flash of red hair. Matt caught her as the newcomer wrapped her arms around the brunette. She quickly pulled away and smiled as Matt helped his partner stand up straight.

Bambi raised an eyebrow at her. "Melinda?"

The blue-eyed girl nodded her head vigorously. "I missed you so much!"

The brown-eyed girl looked to the side as Kato finally caught up with them. He leaned over to take a breath before waving at her.

She laughed before giving them both hugs. "I missed you too!"

Melinda looked to the unfamiliar man with a raised eyebrow. "Who's your friend?"

Bambi glanced to Matt for a moment. "Oh, this is-"

"Miles," the older teen finished as he reached out to shake her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

The freckled teen grinned gleefully as she shook his hand. "I'm Melinda, and this is Kato."

The young man beside her reached out. "It's nice to meet you."

Matt shook his hand. "You too."

Meanwhile, Bambi had been staring at the Wammy genius with wide eyes.

She tilted her head slightly as she asked, "Is that really...?"

He grinned down at her. "Yup. If you're going by your real name, I am too."

Bambi smiled softly to herself, flattered that he trusted her enough to reveal his real name.

There was a brief silence before Kato furrowed his eyebrows. "So, what are you doing here?"

"We're here on business," the brunette explained.

Matt glanced between Bambi and her friends before smiling. "We were just about to get something to eat, though. Do you guys wanna come with us?"

Melinda smiled brightly as she jumped up and down. "Yeah! We can go to the diner. Come on, I'll drive!"

She gestured for everyone to follow her as she bolted down the street. After exchanging glances with the two men standing around the brunette, the three of them raced after her. Once they finally reached her car, Matt was out of breath and coughing. Bambi gave him a few minutes to catch his breath before the four of them piled into her sedan and drove off.

The diner was just as the hacker remembered: black and white tiled floors, red leather booths, pictures of famous rock n rollers plastered along the walls, and a jukebox in the corner playing the tunes of the oldies. Her group of friends used to frequent the diner often when they were younger. The food was great and Melinda absolutely loved the vintage atmosphere.

Bambi and Matt sat down in a booth across from Kato and Melinda. The waitress was quick to take their orders and bring their drinks out.

The brunette took a sip of her drink before smiling at the pair in front of her. "So, how are things? We didn't really get to talk much last time."

Melinda smiled. "Everything's going great! Kato was the valedictorian of the class and gave an awesome speech at graduation. He's going to MIT and I'm going to go to this nice school in California."

"She probably already knows that since she's paying for it," Kato reminded her before turning to Bambi. "Anyway, you know how you wanted me to get rid of any photos of you on the internet?"

She furrowed her eyebrows in concern as the Japanese teen reached into his pocket and started going through his phone. "My cousin posted something I thought you should see."

He handed it to her.

Pictured on the screen was a photo of Bambi, Light, Kai, and Kiyomi all sitting down in class. Light was the furthest from the camera, looking up at the professor. Bambi was sitting next to him resting her head in her hand as she watched the professor with a bored look in her eye. Kiyomi was next to Bambi, looking down at her notebook. Kai was in the corner of the shot, smiling at the camera as he took the picture.

The description that he posted with the photo was written in Japanese. "Psych buddies! Me, Kiyomi, Light, and Emily sitting through another lecture."

Bambi laughed to herself and shook her head. "No wonder he looked weirdly familiar."

As she returned his phone, Kato explained, "I removed the pictures he posted. There were quite a few of them." He frowned before asking, "What's going on?"

The brunette sighed. "It was an undercover mission. I can't tell you anything until we solve the case."

The black-haired teen pursed his lips as he looked down and nodded.

A painful silence washed over the group before Melinda smiled and changed the subject. "Kato has a cool program that impressed MIT, so they gave him a bigger scholarship."

Bambi raised an eyebrow. "What does it do?"

"It predicts stock changes based on specified external influences," Kato explained. "It's far from perfect, though, since it can only handle one company at a time and consider fifteen events at most. The testing has shown 97% accuracy so far, though."

Matt raised his eyebrows and smiled. "That's impressive. Are you into business?"

Kato laughed nervously. "No, I did it because I was bored in my economics class."

Bambi smiled as she turned to Matt and explained, "Kato would be a Wammy kid if he were an orphan."

"Yeah, I can tell."

She turned to Kato. "So, what are you planning to do with your degree, anyway?"

He smiled. "I'm hoping to one day build a quantum computer, so I'm double majoring in Computer Science and Physics."

"Nice." The brunette turned to Melinda. "And what about you? Are you still going for astronomy?"

She nodded. "Yup, but I'm not sure how to go about the teaching part of my certification. I'll just ask an advisor at my school."

Bambi smiled at her friends. "Did anything else interesting happen this year?"

Melinda grinned slyly as she told her, "Kato danced with someone at prom~!"

The young man's cheeks flushed a bright red as he tried to cover his face.

The brunette laughed. "Really? I'm surprised. You hate dancing." After a moment, she asked, "Who was it?"

Kato sighed as he removed his hands. "Jason Smith."

Her previously happy expression disappeared as she immediately frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait. Jason Smith as in the guy who used to pick on you all the time? I beat him up for making you cry!"

"Yeah," he mumbled before looking up at her. "He came up to me and we had a long talk. Basically, he apologized for everything he put me through those couple of years. Then he asked me to dance with him during the king and queen slow dance."

"Jason even dipped him," Melinda chimed in.

Kato smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, it was a bit scary and embarrassing. I kept stepping on his feet too."

Bambi pursed her lips before huffing a sigh. "Alright, but if he breaks your heart, I'm not letting him off easily."

His eyes widened as he blushed again. "Oh, no. We're not dating or anything. It was just a one night thing. I don't dislike him anymore, though."

She nodded to herself, satisfied.

After they all finished their meals and paid the bill, Melinda smiled at Amelia. "Kato and I got you something for your birthday. It's at my house."

The Japanese teen frowned. "It was really just you. I didn't have the money to-"

"You helped pick it out, so you got it too," she insisted as the four of them piled into her car again. "Anyway, we're just going to stop by for a minute so I can grab it, then we'll head to the treehouse."

A few minutes passed as Melinda rushed to her house and haphazardly parked in the driveway. Bambi, Kato, and Matt followed the energetic teen into the front door.

"Mom, I just stopped by to grab something," she called out as she ran to her room. "Amy's here!"

As the energetic woman disappeared, Bambi heard her mother call out, "Amy?"

She emerged from the other room and smiled upon seeing the teen.

She walked up and gave Bambi a brief motherly hug. "It's so good to see you again. How was your trip?"

Amelia smiled slightly. "It was nice, but I'm not back for good yet."

"It's good to have you back for now, hun," Melinda's mom smiled before returning to the kitchen.

Bambi noticed a young teen with spikey red hair peeking around the doorway.

She laughed slightly. "Is that Aiden I see?"

Melinda's brother blushed fiercely as he stepped out into the open. "A-Amy?"

"Wow, you got so much taller. How old are you now?" she asked.

"F-Fourteen," he answered before giving a stern look at Matt. "Who are you?"

Her companion laughed. "I'm Miles, Amy's friend."

Melinda walked down the stairs as her brother puffed out his chest and told him, "Well, it'd better stay that way."

The elder sibling groaned. "Aiden! Leave us alone."

He huffed and folded his arms. "I was just about to, sheesh!"

He stormed into his room as Melinda tugged the older teens back out to the car. She drove a short distance to the abandoned lot where the trio of friends had built the treehouse as children. Bambi smiled up at it as she remembered how much fun they had putting it together. There was a short ladder leading up the tree to the entrance just above their heads. Once inside, the brunette found that it was much smaller than she remembered, but there was just enough room for the four of them if they all sat.

Melinda turned on the lamps before reaching into her purse and pulling out a small wrapped box.

She smiled as she handed it to the brunette. "Happy belated birthday!"

Bambi tore through the wrapping paper and peered inside the tiny box. A pristine heart greeted her, the light from the lamps glistening off the silver. She gently pulled it from the box and noticed the necklace chain that followed. The young woman smiled softly as she traced the edges with her finger, stopping at what appeared to be a latch.

"It's a locket," Melinda explained. "Open it up."

She carefully flipped the latch and opened the heart, revealing the inside. On the left half, there was an engraved message.

> _"Best Friends Forever."_

On the right was a small picture of the three of them, taken from that time when there was a photo booth at the mall. Bambi and Melinda had both dragged Kato into the booth and squished him in the middle so he couldn't escape. Both girls smiled brightly on either side of the boy as he nervously mirrored their expressions.

Melinda softly explained, "It's so you can always remember us, even when we can't talk to you." She reached down her shirt and pulled out a matching necklace as she smiled at Bambi and Kato. "Even when we're apart, I'll always be thinking of you guys."

Amy closed the locket and put it around her neck as Melinda added, "I know it's an old picture, since we're, like, twelve in it, but it's the last picture we took together where you were really yourself."

The painful silence returned as the brunette frowned. She knew that she had stopped paying her friends much attention when she became Robin Hood, but she never meant to hurt them like she did.

Surprisingly, Kato was the first to speak up.

"At first, I tried to convince myself that your behavior was just hormone-related because that's what happened to my cousin, Hana." He sighed and looked up at her. "I figured it out along the way. Your mood swings all matched up to Robin Hood's activities and your arrest coincided with Robin Hood's disappearance."

He paused for a moment as he pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows. "And between Kai's pictures and Robin Hood taking on Kira, I know that you're working on tracking him down, probably with L."

Frustration was clear in his voice as his bottom lip began to quiver. "I just want official confirmation from you after all these years of lying. Please, Amelia."

She bit her lip and sighed. "I'm so sorry for everything I put you guys through. I got so obsessed with it." She glanced to Matt. "I'm still working on that."

He put a reassuring hand on her back as she looked back at Kato. "You can't tell anyone, but you're right about everything."

Melinda's eyes went wide. "Why would you go against Kira?"

Kato cringed and looked away.

Bambi frowned, unsurprised by her friend's opinion. "Melinda, think rationally about this. Yes, he's trying to help, but what he's doing is murder."

She glanced around, flustered as she argued, "He saved you from Beyond Birthday!"

Matt frowned and finally spoke up. "This isn't all publicized, but he's also killing innocent people."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "T-That doesn't make any sense-"

"Alright, enough," Kato sternly commanded. "We should just drop the topic so we don't start arguing about it again."

Melinda pouted and folded her arms. "Fine, but why was I the last person to know about this?"

"I figured it out myself," he told her. "Kira killed Beyond Birthday with a heart attack according to Amelia, but his official cause of death was blood loss. Also, Amelia asked us not to use her name when talking about her and Kira clearly uses names and faces to somehow kill people." He looked to the brunette. "And your undercover mission was probably with one of the suspects, who already knows your face, but thinks your name is Emily."

Matt raised his eyebrows again. "It's impressive that you figured that out and still had time to go to school."

"It really wasn't that hard."

Bambi looked to the side and noticed Melinda was sitting there with her eyes widened in fear, though she wasn't looking at anything in particular. What was she so afraid of suddenly?

The hacker's eyes went wide as she came to a realization.

Her hands trembled as her heart began to race. "Melinda, did you tell someone my name?"

Tears spilled from her eyes as she began to tremble. "I-I'm sorry, Amy."

"Who did you tell?"

"I-It was someone online," she told her through sobs. "O-On a Kira supporter site. I-I thanked him f-for killing B-Beyond Birthday," she sucked in a breath, "a-and someone asked for it."

Bambi felt the world crashing down around her. Her life was probably in the hands of a stranger who would kill her without a second thought. She put her head in her hands as she tried to calm down.

After mentally going over her last conversation with her friends, she cursed herself. She told them to use her real name if they had to talk about her.

The brunette felt like she was going to be sick, but she reached out for the young woman across from her. "Melinda, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known."

Melinda began to cry hysterically as she repeatedly apologized through her sobs. Kato put a hand on her back and did his best to try to console her, despite his own fears for his friend's life.

Matt furrowed his eyebrows and took a deep breath before calmly and slowly telling her, "I know you're upset, but you need to take a deep breath and calm down."

She looked up at him through her tears as she tried to breathe more calmly.

"Someone who might be Kira knows Amy and that she was Beyond's only living victim," he disclosed. "You need to take the comment down as soon as you can. Okay?"

She nodded her head and sniffled. "O-Okay."

Melinda rushed out of the treehouse to follow his instructions.

Kato sighed before getting up. "I'm going to go with her to make sure she gets home safely."

With that said he followed her out. Bambi heard the engine roar as they drove away. There was a long silence between her and Matt as she sat there, lost in her thoughts.

The young woman sighed as she glanced out the window and saw the sun setting. "We should head back."

The redhead nodded before following her down from the treehouse. They walked in silence for a while before he spoke up.

"There's nothing we can do about it now. Besides, if Light is really Kira, then he's in custody and probably can't kill you," he tried to assure her. "If he's not Kira, then the real Kira doesn't know your face."

Bambi took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right."

The moon was high when the pair finally made it back to the hotel, and Amy was beyond exhausted from the day she had. She sunk into the couch as she leaned her head back.

Matt frowned as he sat next to her. "Hey, you gonna be okay?"

She sighed and found herself laughing slightly. "Yeah. Today was one Hell of a day, though."

He nodded and smiled warily. "Yeah, who'd have thought that we'd run into your friends?"

"Not me," she admitted before smiling softly. "It was kinda nice, though... going by my name again."

The redhead looked away for a few moments, seeming lost in thought before he smiled at his companion.

"I could call you that, at least until we get back," he offered sheepishly.

The brunette smiled as she gazed up at him. "I would like that."

The corners of his lips cracked upward in a smile. "So, which is it? Amy or Amelia?"

"Amy," she confided. "Kato's the only one who really calls me Amelia, but he just calls everyone by their full name."

He smiled and nodded to himself as he repeated, "Amy..."

After a moment he added, "You can call me by my name for now too – only if you want to, though."

"Would you prefer that?"

"Yeah..." he confessed as he glanced away. "It would be nice to hear it again."

"Okay," she smiled as she softly added, "Miles."

Miles held her gaze for a few moments before standing and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm just gonna jump in the shower. You can have the room to yourself once I'm done."

She nodded and watched as he disappeared into the bedroom before turning on the television. After aimlessly flipping through the channels, Amy decided to stop on a station that was playing Lady and the Tramp. She smiled to herself, not having seen the film in years. Despite this, the brunette still couldn't focus on it. Instead, her mind turned to the day she relinquished her real name.

A yawn escaped her lips as her heavy eyelids began to fall, a memory playing out in her mind's eye.

~o~

Robin Hood narrowed her eyes as she stared down at her wrists. These handcuffs were really uncomfortable and the fact that they were chained to the table just made them even more irritating. She shivered as she looked around the empty room before glaring at one of the cameras in the corner.

She knew that L was watching her through them, maybe even that Watari guy too – L's man on the scene for everything, according to her research. The old man left her alone some time ago – though, she couldn't tell exactly how much time had passed because there was no clock in the room. He and L were quick to explain every piece of evidence that traced back to the teen, but she remained silent throughout the earlier interrogation.

The last thing L said to her was something about how impressed he was that she lasted this long against him – his exact words, she couldn't recall. Still, Amy found herself wondering why he felt it was appropriate to make such a comment. Was he trying to tease her again like they had done to each other so many times before he found her? Was he being honest?

Why did she even care? It's not like flattery was going to get her out of this mess, especially coming from the other end.

Unless, of course, L was really just a creep.

She shuddered at the thought as she tried to cast it from her mind.

Her eyes went wide as the door finally opened again and she mentally cursed herself for showing such shock. Watari sat down on the chair on the other side of the table.

"You're in luck, Amelia. I just returned from speaking with L," he told her. "We can see that you wish to help better the world, but doling out vigilante justice is illegal." The old man pulled out a stack of papers and pushed them across the table to the teen. "L is prepared to offer you a deal that would benefit both of you."

L's poorly scrambled voice rang out from the walls as she glanced over the papers. "You tested out to be among the top four people I am considering for my successor. I'm willing to cover up all the evidence that led to you as long as you sign a contract to work for me for the next five years." He paused as Watari handed her a pen. "If you do, you will be paired up with one of the other potential successors and assigned to solving cases to prove yourselves to me.

Watari stood. "I'll give you some time alone to think about it."

The brunette frowned as she glanced to the cameras. _Sure, 'alone.'_

 

Amelia wasn't sure how long he was gone for, but it was long enough for her to go through the pages and pages of legal jargon that was her potential contract. Aside from what L explained earlier, it also stated that after the five years were up she could make one of two choices. She could leave her partnership – therefore quitting the running for the title of L – and move on with her life, but she could still be called upon when her hacking skills were needed. Alternatively, she could keep working with her partner and stay in the running for being L's successor.

After a lengthy session of weighing the pros and cons, the teen finally made her decision.

She uncapped the pen and went through the contract, signing her life away to L – at least for the next few years.

Just as she expected, Watari returned to her cell within a matter of minutes and unlocked her handcuffs.

L's voice played through the walls again as he thanked the teen for her cooperation. "For your own safety, you must go by an alias, like 'L', for the remainder of your contract."

Amy nodded her head as she rubbed her raw wrists.

"Perhaps pick something that has a meaning to you so it will be easier to remember," Watari suggested.

The brunette smiled softly to herself before looking between Watari and the cameras. "You can call me… Bambi."

~o~

Miles finished getting dressed after drying off. With the water no longer running, he could hear music playing out from the television.

> _Oh, this is the night. It's a beautiful night, and we call it bella notte~_

The techie found himself humming along as he emerged from the bathroom and into the bedroom before making his way out into the main living quarters. He looked over to the couch to see Amy resting her head on the armrest, asleep.

> _Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes on this lovely bella notte~_

The redhead smiled softly, glad that she finally got some rest, before turning back into the bedroom and moving the blankets to one side of the bed. After that, he returned to the brunette's side and carefully slipped his arms under her back and legs.

> _Side by side with your loved one, you'll find enchantment here~_

Miles effortlessly lifted the young woman up and carried her to the bed, where he laid her down and covered her with the blankets. He leaned in and brushed the hair from Amy's face so she wouldn't wake up with a mouth full of it, his fingers gently brushing against her cheek as he did so. He paused there for a moment as he smiled and admired the peaceful expression on her face.

> _The night will weave its magic spell, when the one you love is near~  
>  For this is the night, and the heavens are right, on this lovely bella notte~_

After a moment his eyes went wide and he pulled away. _What are you doing Miles? She's your coworker. You can't…_

The hacker sighed before rubbing the back on his neck and heading toward the door. He turned off the lights and cast a final gaze toward Amy. He smiled slightly before closing the door behind him and heading to the couch to set up the pull out bed for himself.


	25. Records

*** * * July 3 * * ***

Amelia groaned as she stretched and shielded her eyes from the sunlight escaping into the otherwise dark room. After a few moments, the brunette rolled over and pushed herself into a sitting position. A final yawn escaped her lips as she swung her feet over the bed and checked the time.

Wait… the bed?

The teen furrowed her eyebrows. The last thing she remembered from the prior night was falling asleep on the couch while Matt was in the shower.

She smiled softly as she looked over to the bedroom door. _Miles..._

With that figured out, the young woman grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and everything else needed for her morning routine before disappearing into the bathroom. Once she was ready for the day, Amy put her pajamas away and stepped into the main room.

Her red-haired companion was sprawled out on the pull-out bed with the blankets in a mess on top of him, his foot sticking out at the bottom. Unfortunately for him, they had somewhere to be today. The brunette approached the bed to try to wake the young man.

She leaned over and gently shook his shoulder. "Miles, it's time to get up."

The redhead groaned as he asked, "What time is it?"

"It's seven o'clock."

"That's so early," he whined.

Amelia pouted. "I know, but we have places to go. You can sleep in tomorrow, I promise."

He sighed. "Alright."

Miles sat up, the blankets falling off him. His green eyes peered at the young woman through droopy eyelids as he stretched and ran a hand through his messy hair. As he stood, Amy noticed that he was wearing a plain tank top and a pair of gym shorts.

"I'll be ready in a few minutes," he groggily told her before disappearing into the bedroom.

The hacker folded the pull-out bed into the couch as she waited. Shortly after she finished her task, Miles returned dressed in cargo shorts and a striped t-shirt with his goggles resting on the top of his head. He followed he downstairs to grab a complimentary breakfast before heading out. After a few blocks, the redhead seemed to be more awake.

"So, where are we going?" he finally asked.

"My old orphanage."

Miles nodded to himself as they pressed on. Amelia kept herself more focused today, not bothering to stop and admire nostalgia-inducing spots. The further they went, the more run-down the town appeared. There were foreclosed houses for sale, unkempt lawns, and cracks all down the road.

Not much had really changed over the past few years.

The nicest building in their field of vision was situated on the corner of the street surrounded by a tall fence. The Wammy geniuses could see a decently-sized yard in the back with a sandbox and a small swing set. A few children were running around and playing as an older man monitored them.

Amy directed Miles to follow her as they turned into the opened gates. The fence around the front of the building was over twice the young woman's height and adorned with short spikes at the top, and the gates themselves were even taller. As they headed up the path to the front entrance, she noticed the new security cameras surrounding the perimeter.

The brunette knocked and waited a few moments before a woman in her early forties answered the door. She had curly brown hair loosely tied behind her neck and a face full of freckles.

The woman smiled at the visitors. "Welcome to the Sacred Heart Orphanage. How can I help y-" Her eyes went wide. "Bambi?"

Matt's eyes went wide as he raised a curious eyebrow and glanced at his companion.

Amelia smiled awkwardly and laughed somewhat. "Yup, that's me."

The teen's old caretaker put her hands to her mouth before smiling. "You got so big. I never expected you to come back." Her eyes landed on the faint scar on Bambi's cheek. "Still getting into fights, I see."

The youngest of the three winced. "Yeah, but only sometimes."

The older woman turned to the redhead with an apologetic smile. "So, sorry to skip you. I'm Carol, Amy's old caretaker."

The young man reached out to shake her hand. "I'm Miles." After a moment, he asked, "So, why did you call her Bambi?"

Carol laughed. "Oh, Amy was a restless sleeper when she arrived as a baby. The only way I could get her so sleep soundly was to play the movie Bambi. The nickname just stuck."

The hacker rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Yeah, it's kind of ironic since there's some violence in it."

Her old caretaker smiled before holding her hands together. "So, why did you come back?" She then gestured between the teens. "Are you here to adopt?"

Amy laughed. "I don't even think I'm old enough to do that yet. We're here for other reasons."

Carol nodded her head before leading the pair into the building and up to the front desk.

After taking her place behind it, she asked, "What can I help you with?"

"We're here to retrieve Amy's records," Miles explained.

The older woman furrowed her eyebrows. "Mr. Wammy was given her records after he adopted her. You should take your request up with him."

He raised his eyebrows in shock for a moment.

"I know, but we need the originals too," the youngest told her.

Carol frowned. "Those records are property of the orphanage. I can't legally hand them over."

Amelia sighed before explaining, "We need them to ensure the safety of the orphanage. Please, Carol."

She sighed. "I understand, but I still can't legally give them to you."

At this point, the hacker was well aware that her caretaker wouldn't hand over her records willingly. The teen apologized for taking up her time before leaving with Miles.

Once the orphanage was out of sight, the redhead leaned in and asked, "So, what's the real plan?"

"We're coming back to get them tonight. I'll need your help with the security," she told him. "You might want to take a nap. We'll be out late."

 

Miles and Amy were sitting at the table in their hotel room as they ate dinner.

After finishing his sandwich, the redhead asked, "So, you used to get into fights a lot?"

The brunette finished chewing before explaining, "Yeah, but I only picked fights when someone was getting picked on. That's how I met Melinda and Kato, though that was a few years apart." She paused for a moment before musing, "I used to lose fights more often than not until I learned enough in my classes. I didn't really start winning consistently until a few years before I became Robin Hood."

He nodded before asking, "So, how are we going to go about this?"

Bambi pursed her lips. "I'm going to need you to hack into the security system and delay the alarms and shut off the cameras. I'll be able to find a way in, but not with all that extra stuff." After a moment she added, "I used to sneak in through a loose section of the gate in the backyard, but that was three years ago so they probably fixed it by now. They probably changed the garage passcode, but that would make too much noise anyway. I guess my best option is to go through the front door."

Matt stood and threw out their garbage as he explained, "I have a few modified headsets we can use."

He motioned for her to follow as he entered the bedroom and went into a zipped section of his suitcase. He pulled out a clear earpiece before handing it to the brunette.

"There's a GPS inside it so I can track your location," he explained as he pulled out a similar earpiece with a USB cord attached. "I'll guide you with this and you can talk back by pressing that button on the side. I have a lock-picking set you can attach to your belt too, if you want."

Amelia smiled and thanked him for all his help before turning to her own suitcase in search of something dark to wear for the mission. She found a pair of boots and black jeans and set them aside as she searched for a shirt. A few minutes passed as she dug through her belongings, but all her shirts were lightly colored or had bright red on them – the longest sleeved shirt being her baseball tee that she hadn't worn in months, but that was white and red. She put a finger under her lips as she stared at the suitcase pensively.

"Hey, Miles?" she called out, still getting used to calling her companion by his real name.

"Yeah?"

She turned to face him as she asked, "Do you have a dark shirt I could wear?"

He knitted his eyebrows together as he turned and began searching through his suitcase again. "I might have something."

Amy walked behind him as she waited. A few moments passed before the redhead pulled out something black and stood. As he handed it to her, she noticed that it was a zip-up, hooded sweatshirt. The brunette thanked him and held it up by the shoulders to size it up. The sweatshirt was big – not unexpected given that he was several inches taller than her – but it would work just fine.

"You might want to wear something under it," Miles suggested.

She nodded as she folded the sweatshirt over her arms. "I'll probably just go with a tank top. It's going to be hot enough without it."

 

It was the middle of the night on a new moon, so Amelia struggled to see from her hiding spot in a bush across the street from the Sacred Heart Orphanage. She was wearing the dark clothes she had chosen earlier, the sleeves of her friend's sweatshirt rolled up slightly so as not to obstruct her hands. Her brown hair was tied up behind her head, though the shorter parts still framed her face. Although it was difficult to see, she knew that the gates were closed and there were security cameras posted along the perimeter of the fence.

Miles addressed the young woman through an earpiece as he told her, "Alright, I hacked into the security system. I can shut off the alarms and cameras for five minutes at most so you can get in, get your stuff, and get out. Make sure you're on your way out after three minutes, okay?"

She pressed her finger against the button on the headset. "Roger that."

Amy waited for a moment as the other hacker went to his work and she checked her watch.

His voice rang out in her ear. "Now!"

5:00 remaining.

The brunette rushed across the street, stopping at the front gate. After looking around for a few moments, she found that the gates were secured together with a heavy lock. She knew that she found those types of locks difficult to pick, so the only remaining option was to climb the fence.

Amelia jumped onto the fence and began to scale it. Thirty seconds passed as she made her way up and carefully lifted her body over the spikes at the top and onto the other side, but her foot slipped. Her brown eyes went wide as she scrambled for a better grip of the upper fence and she winced as she felt something dig into her upper arm.

The young woman was quick to carefully drop to the ground as she clutched the wound. It stung and was clearly bleeding through the ripped fabric of her companion's sweatshirt, but it wasn't bad enough to abort the mission. She wiped the crimson liquid on her pant leg and checked her watch.

3:55 remaining.

After glancing around the dark yard to make sure no one saw that, the brunette crossed the yard and stopped at the front door. Unsurprisingly, it was locked.

There used to be a hidden key in the flower pot next to the entrance, but that was years ago. Rather than risking it not being there and wasting more precious time, she went straight into picking the lock.

Amy took the lock-picking tools out of her pouch and went straight to work. It turned out to be less complicated than she expected. After unlocking the door she put away her tools and stepped inside, checking her watch as she quietly shut the door behind her.

2:55 remaining.

It was pitch black in the orphanage, though the young woman knew the hall well enough that it made no difference. She hurriedly snuck down the hallway to the basement door before quietly rushing downstairs to her final destination: the records room. With a test of the doorknob, she found that it was unlocked.

Praising her good fortune, the brunette stepped inside and turned on the lights. The walls were lined with filing cabinets filled to the brim with papers on all current and past residents of the orphanage. To one side of the room there was a small desk with a computer on it, likely being used to transition the orphanage into the 21st century.

Amelia looked across the filing cabinets before approaching the one labeled with 'S'. As quickly and quietly as possible, she opened the drawers and began to sift through the files. When she made it to her last name, she frowned.

Her files were gone.

Miles addressed her through her earpiece. "You have two minutes left. Get out of there."

She furrowed her eyebrows as she glanced through the files once more. _I just need more time!_

"Amy, come on. I can't reset the alarms after this," he quickly told her.

The brunette pursed her lips and sighed before pressing the button on her earpiece. "Alright. I'm coming back."

As she closed the drawers, a new voice rang out from behind her. "I had a feeling that you would be back."

The teen's brown eyes went wide as she whipped around to face the source. Carol was standing in the doorway with a sad smile on her face. She was wearing the same clothes as earlier that morning.

"I can't give you the files," she repeated. "But, I won't stop you from checking the desk drawer."

The orphan warily glanced between her former caretaker and the desk that housed the orphanage's computer. A few moments passed before she crossed the room to the desk and opened the single drawer.

What greeted her was a large folder labeled 'Amelia Stein.' Said woman picked it up as she looked back to her old caretaker, noting that Carol wasn't blocking her exit anymore.

Miles sounded almost panicked as he spoke to her again. "C'mon, Amy, talk to me. You haven't moved and you're running out of time."

As the young woman reached up to her earpiece, Carol smiled and began to tear up.

The teen hesitated as the older woman spoke. "I'm going to miss you so much, Amy. I'll shut off the alarms for you on the way out." She wiped a tear. "I hope that you lead an amazing life, my little Bambi."

The hacker tightened her lips into a thin line as tears began to accumulate at the corners of her eyes. She gave Carol a brief hug before rushing out of the orphanage, files in hand.

 

It was the wee hours of the morning when she finally returned to the hotel room. Amelia was sitting backwards on a chair with her arms wrapped around the back as she leaned forward and let Miles assess the wounds on her arm. It turned out that two spikes had broken her skin. She winced as he dabbed the open cuts with an alcohol pad.

The brunette sighed as she looked over to the young man sitting beside her. He was gentle as he followed the instructions he found on cleaning cuts of that size. His lips were pursed as he focused on her arm.

She frowned as she finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry about your sweatshirt."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Miles glanced up to smile at her before reaching for a gauze pad and neosporin. "I never really wore that one anyway. Besides, it looks like it stopped this from being worse," he added as he spread some of the ointment on the pad and placed it on her wound. "I'd rather lose a sweatshirt than you lose an arm."

Amy sat up straight and watched him carefully wrap her upper arm in an ACE bandage.

She glanced to the side before quietly telling him, "You didn't have to meet me on the way back."

As the redhead finished wrapping her arm, he admitted, "Well, when you stopped answering me and you weren't moving. I got worried that something happened to you."

The brunette frowned. "Sorry about that."

He shrugged. "Hey, I'm just glad you're okay."

A few moments passed as she watched him finish wrapping her arm. She smiled softly to herself. Ever since they met, he always seemed to have her back when she needed him.

After he finished, Miles looked up at her. "We'll need to keep an eye on it, but I think you'll be okay as long as we change the gauze daily and use that antibacterial ointment."

Amelia nodded and turned the chair around so she could sit normally. A few quiet moments passed as the computer geniuses looked over to her files on the table.

"So, what are you going to do with them?" Miles asked with a raised eyebrow.

She pursed her lips as she thought. The simplest answer would be to burn them, but that would fully wipe her from the system. Her contract with L would expire in a few years, and she would have to choose between working with Near for the rest of her life and leaving the investigative force to move on with her life. Without those records, she would never be able to start a normal life if she wanted to do so.

"I think I'll keep them for now, maybe in some sort of safe at the bank or something so no one else can get to them," she told him.

A few moments of silent relaxation passed before her red-haired companion spoke up. "So, where to next?"

The brunette put a finger below her lips as she contemplated the options. Carol had said that Watari retrieved a copy of her personal records after she signed her contract with L. Given that the genius never mentioned it, Bambi reasoned that it was probably at the Wammy House. It would be in her best interest to go and take them back. Additionally, she was willing to bet that Matt, Mello, and Near still had their records there and would want them back.

Amelia looked up at Miles as she told him, "We should head back to Wammy's to get the rest of our records."

He nodded. "Alright. Sounds good to me."

The young woman rose and retrieved her laptop from her suitcase before rejoining the gamer at the table.

As she booted it up, she asked him, "Where is Wammy's?"

"It's in Winchester, England."

She nodded as she searched for flights. "Not too surprising given your accent."

The next page offered tickets at a high price for the next day from Iowa to England. Amy moused over to purchase them, but stopped. The corners of her lips tugged into a slight frown as she looked down.

It wasn't that she couldn't afford them, but she didn't want to go yet. She didn't want to head back to Japan so early and face Mello again. She may not have had much experience in love, but he had made it clear over the past few months that he wasn't into her the way that she was into him. It was more important for him to focus on trying to be L's successor, and she knew that. Still, it was awkward being around him that last week before they left Japan. She needed time to get over him, and time away from the general frustrations that the Kira case brought on.

She tightened her lips into a thin line as she glanced up at the redhead. "Miles?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What's up?"

She sighed as she looked back down for a moment. "Would you mind if we just stayed here for another week or two?"

He gave her a sad, but understanding smile. "Sure, don't worry about it."

Amy smiled back at him. "Thanks."

As she went to purchase tickets for a later date, the young man added, "It'll be nice to relax for once anyway, especially since we haven't in a while. I bet it'll probably be good for you to wind down in a more familiar setting too."

The young woman shut off her laptop as she smiled back up at the redhead. He had dark circles under his eyes from the past few days and adjusting to the time difference. She imagined that her own eyes had a similar appearance.

"You know, I've never been in the US during your Independence Day," he admitted.

She raised an eyebrow as she tilted her head. "Weren't you guys here last summer?"

"We didn't come over until August last year, and before that we were working in England," he explained. "Do you guys really have those big parties like they always show in the movies?"

A short laugh escaped her lips. "Well, every town has its own traditions. Here, we always have this big festival with food, music, and games the weekend after the Fourth of July – most people spend the fourth with their families. Anyway, at the end of the festival we have the fireworks show on the lake."

Miles grinned as his green eyes lit up like a child during Christmas. "Can we go?"

Amelia caught his smile and returned it. "Sure, and I know the perfect way to spend tomorrow."

"I'm looking forward to it," he told her. "So, since I'll probably be asking you a ton of questions about how you do things around here, is there anything you want to ask me about Wammy's before we head there? Near said you've never actually been there."

The brunette pursed her lips as she considered it. Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know much about Wammy's or her mysterious coworkers' lives while there.

The young woman smiled as she asked, "What was it like growing up at Wammy's?"

Miles laughed. "You'd be better off asking Mello since he's been there his whole life. I only came when I was older."

She furrowed her eyebrows and warily asked, "Why?"

Her red-haired companion sighed and looked down. "I had a family before Wammy's. There was no one living in my extended family, otherwise I would've been sent there."

The corners of Amelia's lips tugged into a frown. She could only imagine the horrors he went through in losing his entire family. Now she wished that she had just kept her nosy mouth shut.

"I was six when it happened." He looked up pensively and she noticed that his eyes were glassy. "I can't remember most of it. We were driving to my older brother's football game – or was it hockey?" He winced. "There was a huge truck and this horrible noise before everything went dark. There was smoke everywhere."

He paused as he looked down at the table. "Everyone else died. I was hurt pretty bad and sent to the hospital. They fixed me up and gave me therapy, but I was there for a long time." He glanced up for a moment before admitting, "I don't remember how I got Watari's attention, but I did somehow. I got brought to Wammy's when I was seven and took on my brother's name. It was the only way I knew I could keep him with me, but I still think of myself as Miles."

There was a silence between the pair after the young man finished his story. Amelia tightened her lips into a thin line before reaching across and gently holding onto his hand. The redhead smiled slightly as he looked up at her.

The young woman frowned as she gave his hand a light squeeze. "Miles, I'm so sorry for what happened."

He laughed slightly. "I'm fine – it all happened a long time ago. Sorry for getting all carried away with it. It's been a while since I've told anyone about it."

The brunette gave him a sad smile before retracting her hand.

Miles looked off to the side. "It's really late. We should probably try to get some sleep if we're going out to do whatever you have planned for tomorrow. I'm just going to get changed, then you can have the bedroom."

Amy furrowed her eyebrows and scrunched her nose. "I had it last night – it's your turn."

"Yeah, but you did a lot today," he argued. "You should have it tonight."

She frowned. "It's not fair to make you take the couch two nights in a row."

There was a short silence between the pair as they had a stubborn stare down. He raised an eyebrow after a few moments, and she pouted in response.

"If you fall asleep on that couch, I'm just going to pick you up and put you in the bed again," he told her.

Although a part of her was frustrated by the notion, Amelia couldn't help but smile. "Fine, but you'd better get the bed the next two nights."

Miles laughed. "Sounds good enough to me."

He stood and disappeared into the bedroom to get changed.


	26. Enlightenment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find the accompanying playlist for the chapter [here](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWoWT_UrM4PE3snWLIyIZHJXgLIMIteDd), but it is optional to listen to. If you choose to listen along, please be sure to read the short instructions in the playlist description first. 
> 
> And a big thanks to veryqueenly for dedicating her series to me. I'll read the next installments soon.
> 
> Thank you and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

*** * * July 4 * * ***

Exhausted from the prior night's operation, Miles and Amelia slept in late. After finally waking up and getting something to eat, the pair set out. Although they were not old enough to rent a car, bicycle rentals in the area had much more lenient laws. They rented bikes for the day before Amy took the redhead on a tour of the town, showing him all the places she used to hang out at or hide out in. Once the tour was over, she directed him to a quiet hill overlooking the lake. They stopped under the lone tree at the top to have a picnic lunch. It was then when she revealed that this was her favorite spot in the whole town. As they day went on the pair of geniuses talked and laughed, enjoying the beginning of their miniature vacation from their responsibilities.

Finally, when the sun was setting, Amelia revealed her plans for the night. She guided her companion to the outskirts of the city where a huge building greeted them – Nelson's Roller Rink. They locked up their bicycles before the brunette led Miles through the doors. It was a nice venue and had a surprising amount of people present despite the holiday. There was a hockey-sized rink to the left where people were skating around to the music playing overhead. The lights were dimmed for the night skaters, a sparkling disco ball spinning above the rink. In a corner near the entrance was a booth that offered rental skates, both quads and inlines. In the space to the right were all sorts of tables and benches for the guests to sit and eat at, a snack bar off to the side, and a karaoke bar in a back room.

Amy grinned as she turned to face Miles. "So, what do you think? They play fun old music on Tuesdays."

The redhead pursed his lips and nodded as he took in the sounds.

A few moments passed before he smiled apologetically. "It looks fun, but... I've never skated before."

"That's okay. I'll help you," the young woman offered before directing him off to the side. "Let's get some rentals. Tonight's on me."

The techie couldn't help but smile graciously as he followed her to the stand. After giving their sizes and paying, they traded their shoes with the clerk for their roller skates. As they made their way to one of the nearby benches, "Build Me Up Buttercup" began to play over the loudspeakers, prompting the brunette to hum along. Amy laced up her quads with ease and skated over to Miles, who was apparently struggling to give it the correct tightness. She kneeled down in front of him and started working on his laces.

The redhead was silent for a few moments before musing, "You know, this song's kinda deceptive. It sounds so upbeat, but the lyrics are kinda sad."

Amelia furrowed her eyebrows as she paused to listen to the lyrics.

> _...Why do you build me up (build me up) buttercup, baby_  
>  _Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around_  
>  _And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby_  
>  _When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still..._  
> 

An image of Mello flashed across her mind's eye, prompting her to frown before she shook her head and cast him out of her thoughts.

She sighed as she nodded. "I used to like this song, but now that I've actually paid attention to the lyrics, I'm not so sure that I do anymore."

With that said, she finished lacing her companion's skates and stood, offering him a hand with an encouraging smile. Miles took her hand, legs wobbling as she helped him up. The young man stared down at his feet as he tried to keep them steady while keeping his balance.

"Keep your feet shoulder width apart and angle them a bit when you're moving forward," she told him as she backed up to gave him some space. "It should make it easier to balance that way."

Following her suggestions, the redhead carefully pushed forward. His lips curved into a grin as he maintained his balance well enough, but when he tried to use the brake to stop in front of the brunette, he tripped himself up and fell forward. Amelia caught him in her arms and steadied herself before helping him balance again with a smile.

As she looked back up at Miles, he laughed. "Sorry about that."

She returned his laughter. "Don't worry about it. It might be easier to just let yourself coast to a stop for now, or just let me know and I'll help you."

The young woman took his hands and started skating backwards, leading him to the rink's entrance as a new song began to play. With a glance behind her, Amy slowed and stepped down into the rink. She had her companion hold onto the inner railing with one hand while she steadied him with the other before he carefully entered the arena. The slick boards were more difficult to remain standing on, so she continued holding his hand to aid him. When he finally seemed comfortable enough, she pushed forward and led him into the flow of the skaters, making sure to remain closer to the wall to allow the faster guests pass by with ease.

"I used to come here with my friends all the time when we were younger," she admitted with a grin. "We got good enough that we could actually dance while we skated. It was really fun. I'm a bit rusty, though."

Miles looked down for a moment before giving her a slight smile and pulling his hand out of hers. "You can just go do that if you want. I'll be fi-"

He cried out as he slipped and landed on his back. Amy stopped and crouched down to offer him help. The gamer frowned as he insisted on trying to get himself up, but with each attempt he got no more than a few inches above the floor before falling again.

The brunette kneeled down in front of him. "Roll onto your knees and give me your hands."

He huffed a sigh before complying.

She smiled as she instructed, "Now put one foot in front of you and push up."

Again, he followed her directions. Amy was careful to keep him balanced as she helped him up. Once standing again, she released one of his hands and went to his side opposite the wall.

The young man sighed and looked away as he held onto the railing. "Sorry. I'll be fine if I hold onto this."

She put her free hand on her hip. "Miles, I came here to have fun with you. I'm not going to leave you behind."

He looked up, brows pinched together. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

He glanced down as a warm smile graced his lips. "Thank you."

The brunette returned his smile before slowly starting them off again. A few minutes later, both teens were thoroughly enjoying themselves, ignoring their slow pace as they skated around the rink. When the song ended and the sounds of the next one began, Amy couldn't avoid the toothy grin on her face, prompting a raised eyebrow from the redhead.

"It's 'Sweet Caroline'," she explained. "I love this song!"

While keeping her hand steady so as not to push him out of balance, she started swaying back and forth in a slight dance.

When the lyrics began, Amelia sang along. "Where it began, I can't begin to knowin' / But then I know its growing strong / Was in the spring, then spring became the summer / Who'd have believed you'd come along? / Hands touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you~!"

A large group of skaters belted out the chorus in unison. The voices faded out as people mumbled the lyrics they didn't know, but Amy enthusiastically kept going. She smiled up at her companion as she sang before pausing and tilting her head. It was hard to tell in the dim lighting of the arena, but it almost looked like he was blushing. When he caught her gaze, he flashed her a sheepish grin and sang along with the chorus.

They skated through several more songs before stopping to get a late dinner from the food stand. Amelia helped Miles to a table before skating up and ordering something for each of them. A few minutes passed before the food was ready and she could carry the tray back to her companion. As she neared the table, she noticed two more familiar faces than she expected – her old friends, Kato and Melinda. She pursed her lips and looked down for a moment before placing the tray down and sitting down next to her coworker.

Amelia sighed before looking up at her friends. "Guys, I'm sorry about what happened the other day and leaving on such a sour note."

Kato forced a small smile as he nodded his head while Melinda grinned brightly and explained, "It's okay. It was mostly my fault anyway. Miles just told us about how we didn't need to worry about it, though, since the guy who knows you isn't really Kira."

The brunette smiled warmly at her friends. "Do you guys want to hang out with us the rest of the night?"

Kato frowned. "We don't mean to impose-"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome!" Melinda interrupted. "It'll be just like the old days."

Amy laughed. "I hardly think we're old enough to be going on about the old days just yet."

The blue-eyed girl gave her a playful pout. "Well, it _has_ been a long time." She paused as she scrutinized the bandage wrapped around the brunette's upper arm. "You got hurt _again?_ What happened?"

The hacker winced. "It's fine. I just caught myself on something last night."

This time Kato chimed in. "Doing what?"

Amelia exchanged glances with Miles. "We came here for business reasons and-"

Upon noticing the Japanese teen's stern look, she frowned.

The brunette sighed before leaning in and whispering, "Look, I broke into the Sacred Heart to get my records. I don't want to leave any chance of anyone finding me and getting to you guys."

Kato's expression softened as he looked down and nodded in understanding.

Melinda pouted. "Oh, alright." She turned to Miles with furrowed brows. "Hey, you'd better take care of Amy and make sure she's safe until we can see her again."

He laughed and nodded. "I will."

Amelia smiled softly at him before turning back to her old friends. "I'll start keeping in touch with you guys more once the case is over, but not until then just to be safe."

"I understand," Kato told her.

There was a short silence in the group before Melinda confessed, "Even though I support Kira, if it means getting to have the group together again, I wouldn't mind if he got caught."

Smiles were exchanged between the two young women before the brunette spoke. "So, Miles and I are going to be here for another two weeks before our flight leaves. Would you guys want to get together again sometime?"

Kato frowned. "I'm working overtime the rest of the month so I can try to save up some money before I move in."

Melinda pouted as she whined, "Aw, man. If I knew you were staying, I would have convinced my mom to postpone the cruise. We leave on Thursday, but we're doing all our packing tomorrow – that's why Kato took off today."

Amy nodded understandingly. "That's okay. Next time."

"Yeah." The blue-eyed girl frowned as she mumbled, "I hope my PSP comes in tomorrow."

Miles raised his eyebrows. "What games do you play?"

"Oh, I mostly play Final Fantasy and Harvest Moon, but I really wanted to play Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep during the flight," she told him.

"She's the one who got me into Kingdom Hearts," Amy added.

Kato was the next to chime in. "I keep trying to convince her to get a gaming computer so she can play Skyrim."

"But it's so much work," Melinda groaned.

Miles laughed. "Yeah, but it's worth it in the end. Handhelds are more convenient, but you get amazing graphics with a PC."

Kato grinned at the woman beside him. "I told you." He then turned to the other redhead. "So, Miles, what games do you play?"

As the teens discussed their gaming habits, Amy couldn't help but smile. Much to her surprise, Kato and Melinda were chattering away with her companion as if he were another old friend in the tight-knit group. Rather than chiming in, the brunette took solace in hanging back and listening to the conversation unfold. As they geeked out over a new video game that was set to come out later that year, she found her mind wandering back to Mello – certain that she had finally figured out what went wrong.

Amelia knew that she didn't start liking him at all until after she found out that he was the one who rescued her. With Mello too injured to do any real investigating, he took to something he knew he could do – protecting someone. Bambi knew that his protectiveness while she felt so weak and vulnerable was what drew her into developing feelings for him. As she recovered, her need for that went away and he started driving her crazy. Still, the crush remained despite their many arguments. As Mello recovered, he was able to focus more on what was important to him – investigating and impressing L. With that possible, he started ignoring her.

A sad smile graced the brunette's lips. They didn't have much in common to bond over beside their shared near-death experience, and she knew that it wouldn't have led to a good relationship. Her time away, albeit short, had given her that much insight. Although she was still a bit disappointed, she could now see it clearly.

_"Hello?_ Earth to Amy."

Melinda's voice drew her out of her thoughts as she looked up. "Huh?"

The blue-eyed girl gestured for her to follow. "C'mon, we're going to do karaoke in the back!"

Amelia grinned and helped Miles up before skating with him to catch up to her friends.

*** * * July 8 * * ***

The past several days had been nice distractions from all their work. Amy took Miles swimming on the lake one day, though a surprise storm shooed them out of the water and kept them under a canopy for a few hours. They went miniature golfing another day and Miles shocked the brunette with his skill, winning a free ice cream sundae in the trick hole at the end. It took some convincing and the lame excuse that he couldn't eat the whole thing by himself, but the pair eventually decided to split it. They meant to spend a day at the park, but were rained out. Instead, Amy took him to an arcade that she used to frequent with Melinda.

Saturday finally came, along with it the Fourth of July fireworks festival. Miles was the most excited she had ever seen him, eagerly awaiting the celebration. They rented bikes again for an easy ride to the park beside the lake where the festival would be taking place. The blaring music of the local bands could be heard long before they arrived. As they locked up their bikes and walked into the park, the young man was completely awestruck. There were food carts scattered about the place along with all sorts of stands for local charities and small businesses. Off to one side was the set up for the annual hot dog eating contest. There was a large group of carnival games and rides off to another side. Way in the back was the county car show.

The pair of computer geeks wandered around the venue – more accurately, Miles enthusiastically dragged Amy from stand to stand, making sure to check everything out. She didn't mind it, though – truthfully, seeing him so giddy made her enjoy the festival even more. After purchasing something to eat and perusing through the miniature shops, the pair made their way to the car show at the back. They spent quite a while there admiring the classic cars scattered about. Although Amelia was able to admire their classic looks and shining paint, she knew next to nothing about them. Miles was quick to pick up on it and explained what made each car so incredible, making sure to answer any questions she had along the way.

When the winners were finally announced, the pair of geniuses made their way to the carnival area. After braving a few temporary rides, Amy realized that she could no longer stomach anymore spinning, so they changed their focus to the various games all around them. After a few failed attempts at dart games and whack-a-mole, Miles joined in on a water gun game. He lined up with other competitors of all ages and waited for the starting buzzer before taking aim at a tiny hole across the stand and pressing down on the trigger, firing pressurized water out the nozzle. As the stream hit its mark, a bar above it began its slow ascent in a race against the others. Amy cheered him on from behind as she watched. The race ended with the chime of a bell as a green light flashed above the redhead's target.

"And we have a winner!"

The operator walked up to Miles. "So, what'll it be? Pick a prize, any prize."

The young man took a moment to think as he looked up at the many plush animals that lined the stand. He briefly glanced to the brunette who was now beside him before nodding to himself.

"I'll take that one," he told the operator as he pointed to a pastel-colored panda.

The man handed the plushie over before calling out to the passing guests, "We close in five minutes, folks. There's still time to get in another round!"

As Miles and Amy stepped aside, she asked, "Why that one?"

He hesitated, freezing up for a moment as he smiled sheepishly. "Actually... it's for you. I-I don't really have any use for it, but it's still kinda cute."

As he thrust the plush bear into her arms, his cheeks appeared to be dusted a slight red – but that could easily be a trick of the light from the orange glow of the sunset.

Still, Amelia gave him a soft smile as she cradled the panda in her arms. "Thank you."

The pair walked around for a while longer as the sky grew darker before deciding to converge on the hills overlooking the lake. People were scattered across the area, going as far down as the beach itself to claim small spots to view the fireworks with their loved ones. Children all around were running about with glow sticks and sparklers while others played tag.

Miles and Amy found a nice spot on a hill overlooking the lake that was just far away enough to give them space as they set out a picnic blanket. They sat down as the sun dipped below the horizon, talking amongst themselves and sharing bouts of laughter. Both geniuses seemed relieved to have time to just enjoy themselves like a pair of normal people who didn't have to worry about the fate of the world or catching mass murders – just two people with similar interests spending time together.

The young man leaned back as he asked, "So, what are you planning to do after your contract is up?"

The brunette sighed and held her plushie more tightly. "Honestly, I have no idea what I want to do with my life, but I definitely want to take a break from investigating. A part of me wants to stick with computers, but I don't want to fall back into hacking."

"If you want to stick to something familiar, you could always go into security," Miles suggested. "You would know better than anyone how to test the new systems out."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess that could work."

"Or maybe you could try teaching?"

Amelia pursed her lips as she recalled running into Light on her birthday. She really enjoyed taking the time to teach him about computers, though she wasn't sure if that was just because it gave her something else to focus on.

She nodded slightly. "Maybe. What about you? I'm going by the assumption that you're not on a contract, but are you going to keep working with Mello or change it up?"

The redhead tightened his lips into a thin line as he looked off in the distance. "I'll always help Mello when he needs me, but I never wanted to be involved in any of this detective stuff. I'm not sure what I'd do if I stopped, though."

She chuckled. "That seems to be the question of the day." A few moments passed before she suggested, "Why don't you try sticking to programming or inventing? You're really good at both of them."

He smiled. "Maybe... I was thinking of looking into game developing, but it's a totally different world from playing them."

"Maybe you should try it out when you have some free time?"

Miles nodded to himself before a small burst of fireworks exploded in the air to the side of the lake.

The young man immediately sat up straight. "Is it starting?"

Amy couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm. "No, that's just someone who lives on the lake. The real ones shoot off from about the middle of the lake. They don't usually start until after the sun has been down for a while, and they go much higher."

"Oh, oka- What was that?!"

She furrowed her eyebrows as she followed his gaze. "What was what?"

A few moments passed before a floating light glowed a soft yellow.

"That!"

The young woman scrunched her nose. "You mean the firefly?"

His eyes went wide. "That's what it was?"

She tilted her head. "You've never seen one before?"

"Not up close," he admitted. "We don't have those in England. I was starting to think that they were just weird Hollywood effects."

Dozens more of the bioluminescent creature floated into view, dotting the hillside in their softly blinking glow.

"We get them all the time during the summer," she clarified.

Miles watched in awe as the fireflies painted the landscape, reflecting off the lake below. A few moments passed before he noticed children chasing the lights on the beach. He grinned excitedly as he turned to the woman beside him.

A giggle escaped Amelia's lips as she returned his smile. "Go ahead. I'll be right here."

The redhead jumped up from the blanket before eagerly chasing after the fireflies for a closer look. Amy smiled softly as she watched him run around. She had been really enjoying the past week, not worrying about anything. It was like a vacation with one of her best friends. Miles dove after one of the bugs, but it blinked tauntingly in front of his face before flying off.

"Hey, wait! Come back!" he cried out as he continued the chase.

She laughed at her companion's reaction. Now that she thought about it, her relationship with Miles was so different from the one she had with Near. While she and her partner had reached the point of making the occasional joke with one another and they worked well together as an investigative team, it still felt as a strictly working relationship. With Miles, even though she had only known him for eight months, she truly felt like she was with her best friend. The young woman learned that she worked as well with him as she did with Near, but with Matt there she always felt like she returned to a warm welcome after a mission.

They joked and laughed together each time she came home from a rough day at To-Oh. When Mello was gone and Near was asleep, they had little gaming nights together to keep each other's spirits up after Ukita's horrifying death. Miles was already down to less than half the cigarettes he used to smoke daily. He looked after her and she looked after him. No matter what, Amy knew that she could always look forward to seeing him.

The world seemed to come to a halt as her eyes went wide.

A firework exploded in the sky behind Miles, illuminating him as he looked down at his cupped hands with a smile. She felt a warmth in her chest and a smile on her lips as he walked back to the blanket and took his place beside her. The redhead's face was lit up with a childlike excitement as he carefully held his cupped hands in front of her, parting them to reveal the small firefly between them. The creature glowed again as it propelled itself into the air and flew off toward the lake. As they watched it fly off, a firework shot into the air high above the lake's center, signifying the start of the show.

The crowd of spectators hushed as they turned their gazes skyward. Fireflies were floating all around as the night became painted in an array of colorful explosions. Miles and Amy exchanged smiles before they settled in their spots to admire the show, fingers brushing against one another.


	27. Reunion

*** * * July 16 * * ***

After retrieving all her old records, Amelia and Miles spent the rest of the time in her hometown relaxing and sightseeing. With the weeks now over, they were both at the local airport waiting in the security line for their flight to Winchester. As Amy stood there in line behind her fellow computer geek, her thoughts turned to the past week.

 _It's going to be so weird calling him Matt and to be called Bambi again,_ she mused with a sigh. _I wish it could have lasted longer._

Meanwhile in Japan the Task Force had already moved into their new headquarters. Everyone was sitting around the large screens depicting the confinements of Misa, Soichiro, and Light. The trio closest to the front was the three remaining Wammy geniuses. L noticed Watari returning to the room, likely having just finished sending Bambi and Matt instructions on how to get through the building's security when they arrive.

The world's number one detective returned his attention to the screens as Misa continued on and on trying to bribe her apparent stalker into releasing her. Light and Soichiro were pacing around their rooms again in silence. To his side, L heard Mello huff a sigh.

"I hate to say it, but it's pretty clear that Light isn't Kira and neither is Misa," the blond grumbled.

On L's other side, Near argued, "We should wait to see how long this lasts."

"That's pointless!" the older successor snapped. "If either of them were Kira, we would have seen them killing these past few weeks and that hasn't happened."

L tuned out the remainder of the argument between his potential successors as he took a few moments to think. _Matt would agree with Mello, but what would Bambi think?_

He pursed his lips and took a few moments to think. _She would probably call me a stubborn idiot and agree with Mello._ A pout tugged at the corners of the great detective's lips. _Well, that's too bad._

"We'll wait longer," he announced.

*** * * July 18 * * ***

After a day of rest, Bambi and Matt finally made it to the Wammy House. The sky was overcast as Amelia followed her red-haired companion through the main gates. The brunette found herself admiring the old buildings as she walked down the path. While her orphanage had a more modern look to it, Wammy's had a distinctly traditional architecture.

The young woman felt the gazes of curious children as she began to watch where she was walking. A quick glance around showed that while some were more eager to see why the older teens were there, inching forward with smiles on their faces, others quietly snuck away. As the pair of hackers neared the front door of what Amy assumed to be the main building, a large group of children blocked their path.

They smiled brightly as one child asked, "Are you picking someone out?"

An older boy raised his hand as he jumped up and down. "Oh! Pick me! Pick me!"

"Pick Brenda! She's annoying," a younger boy suggested with a sly smile.

The girl beside him pouted. "I am not!"

An older girl smiled shyly at Bambi. "Can I be your daughter?"

The oldest boy furrowed his eyebrows as he scrutinized Matt. "You look kinda familiar."

The youngest boy grinned brightly at the young woman as he held out his hand. "You're pretty! Can I have some of your hair?"

Amelia winced slightly before faking a cough and smiling awkwardly at the children. "Sorry, we're not here for that."

Matt rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he confirmed her statement. Unfortunately, these children were determined to change the teens' minds and wouldn't budge.

A feminine voice addressed them from the side. "You heard the man, leave them alone. Shouldn't you all be in class now anyway?"

They immediately dispersed, leaving Amy and her companion to turn to the newcomer. She was a tall woman who didn't appear to be much older than Bambi. Her blonde hair was tied neatly behind her neck.

She stopped before the computer geniuses and smiled at Matt. "It's nice to see you again. What are you doing here?"

He flashed the blonde an awkward smile. "Yeah, uh… you too." He paused to gesture to the young woman standing beside him. "We're here on business." There was another pause before he asked, "So… what are you doing here?"

"I volunteer here often. The children often give me inspiration for my art," she explained before turning to the brunette. "Since you're here on business, would that make you the infamous Bambi?"

The hacker rubbed the back of her neck as she flashed a sheepish smile. "Do I really have such a bad reputation?"

The blonde laughed. "I'm Linda, an old classmate of Mello's," she clarified. "Though, if you're wondering why Matt's acting stranger than usual, it's because we used to date before he left."

A slight frown tugged at the corners of Bambi's lips despite her attempts to resist it. She turned to Miles with a raised eyebrow. The redhead sighed and glanced away as he awkwardly confirmed his ex-girlfriend's statement.

"Anyway, you're pretty well-known around here," Linda told her. "No one expected an outsider to get a position on one of the teams. You made a lot of people jealous."

It took a few moments for Amy to process what she said, mentally cursing herself for being so distracted today. "Oh, sorry about that."

The blonde smiled again before looking back to Matt. "Well, I won't hold you. It was nice seeing you again." She glanced over to Bambi. "Good luck."

With that said, they parted ways. Miles avoided eye contact as led his companion though the building and to the front office, the door labeled 'Headmaster: Roger Ruvie.'

The redhead knocked and waited for a few minutes before a voice from inside invited them in. As the pair of hackers entered the room, Bambi saw an elderly man with what appeared to be a permanently downcast expression on his face as he looked up at them from his desk.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he scrutinized the two of them. "Matt? And I presume you are Bambi. What are you doing here?"

"We need all the paperwork and pictures of the Wammy Teams," the redhead explained.

Roger laced his fingers together above his desk as he frowned. "No, that's all safe here."

Although Amelia had no problem arguing with people in situations like this, she felt it would be more appropriate to let Miles handle this. He actually knew Roger, so she reasoned that he would have a better chance at finding a way to convince him.

"The Wammy Teams are investigating Kira with L," Matt told him. "It's really important that we get those records before he finds a way to do it."

Roger furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm sorry, but these records are safest here."

The redhead pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. "Look, we're getting those files whether you hand them over willingly or not. Let's just make this easier for all of us, alright?"

The old man's shoulders slumped before he sighed. "Fine."

He stood from his desk and left for a few minutes before returning with four folders. Bambi and Matt thanked him for his cooperation before leaving. As the pair walked through the gates of the orphanage and started heading back to the hotel, there was a tense silence between the two of them.

Amelia was the first to hesitantly speak up. "So... that girl – Linda, right?"

The redhead tightened his lips into a thin line as he nodded.

"She was your... girlfriend?" the final word rolled off her tongue with a distinct distaste.

He sighed and looked down. "Yeah, we dated for about a year when I was fourteen."

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows as she warily asked, "Why did you break up?"

Miles shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we just kinda drifted apart. Linda and I didn't really have a lot in common to begin with, and we stopped talking and spending time together. She got mad at me for not wanting to be L even though I placed into the Wammy Teams. I'm pretty sure she had a crush on Near too, but I guess it didn't really matter because my feelings for her were kinda going away anyway."

Bambi pursed her lips as she looked down. "Sorry for bringing it up. I shouldn't have asked."

He laughed and nudged her. "Don't worry about it. I'm over it, but it's still kinda awkward to talk about, you know?"

She grinned up at him as she confessed, "Well, not by experience, but I think I can understand."

Green eyes went wide as he scrunched his nose. "Seriously? You've never had a boyfriend?"

A bout of laughter escaped her lips. "Miles, I-" She gasped and covered her mouth. "Sorry."

"You can still call me that when we're alone," he assured her. "We just have to be careful around the task force. Anyway, you were saying?"

The brunette nodded and continued. "I had a few crushes growing up, but by the time I was old enough to start dating, I was already focused on the whole Robin Hood thing."

"So, you've never been on a date?"

"Nope."

Matt pursed his lips. "Well, you had to have been asked out at least a few times, right?"

She scrunched her nose. "Nope."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Seriously? Not even once?"

She shook her head. "Not even once. I wasn't exactly popular."

"Oh..."

A few moments passed before Matt opened his mouth as if to add something, but he pursed his lips and looked away. Bambi raised an eyebrow as she looked up at the redhead, but he remained silent, glancing away from her gaze. The corners of her lips tugged into a slight frown as she continued to watch were she was walking.

Amelia furrowed her eyebrows. "I only just realized this, but isn't it dangerous for Linda to go by her real name?"

The young man shrugged his shoulders. "Probably, but I doubt that's her real name. It's a Wammy requirement to go by an alias."

She pursed her lips before her eyes widened slightly. "Wait, she never told you her name?"

"Nope. She doesn't know my name either," he confessed. "The only people who know me as Matt and as Miles are you, Watari, and probably Ryuzaki."

She scrunched her nose. "Not even Mello?"

He shook his head. "He never told me his name either."

Bambi's eyes went wide for a moment as she processed the information. She fell silent as she looked off to the side, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips as a slight warmth rose to her cheeks. Amy was one of the few people Miles trusted with his name, his best friend not even included in that exclusive list. She was touched.

 

Several hours later when the moon was rising above the town, the pair of computer geniuses had returned to their hotel for the night. They had locked the files away in a bank safe under Matt's real name, making it as difficult to access them as possible. Bambi was sitting at the table with her laptop in front of her as she waited for her turn to shower. She had purchased their return tickets to Japan earlier, though the flight was still several days away. Still, neither teen seemed to mind the delay.

The redhead emerged from the bathroom, hair still damp as he approached the young woman. "Shower's yours now."

Amelia stood to retrieve her bathing necessities, but was stopped by a question.

"So, have you ever been to England before now?"

She shook her head. "No, I've only been to the US and Japan."

Miles couldn't help but grin as he offered, "I could show you around if you want. Maybe we could stay at the headquarters I shared with Mello. This way you could see London too."

She smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

*** * * July 20 * * ***

Although Bambi knew to expect a city, she didn't expect London to be so grand as the movies always show. Being used to the bustling streets of Tokyo, she was rather surprised to find that is was significantly less busy in these streets – though there were clearly more tourists. Even just the ride in showed her glimpses of famous landmarks that she never thought she would see in person, and she couldn't help but smile

The geniuses were dropped off in front of what appeared to be a mansion on the river. Its classic look was remarkably similar to the architecture of Wammy's – perhaps it was just a cultural thing. Matt walked up to the gates before opening a panel that scanned his palm. A few moments passed before the gates surrounding the large establishment opened.

He grinned at his companion as he led her up the pathway. "I feel like Batman every time I come here."

She returned his grin, stifling a bout of laughter as they stopped at the door. When the gates behind them creaked to a halt in their original locked positions, the door opened from the inside. There was a middle-aged man in a suit standing there with brows furrowed upon noticing the young woman.

"Sir, I was not expecting you to return. Who is this young lady?"

"This is Coil. We're working on a project together," the redhead explained.

"I see." The man backed away from the door, letting them in. "Welcome to our establishment, Miss Coil."

After a brief thanks from the brunette, Miles escorted her through the halls. As she looked around she noted that the interior architecture matched that of the exterior, but they seemed to have all the same investigative commodities that she and Near had in Washington DC. The pair stopped in front of a door, drawing Bambi's attention again.

"You can stay in my room until we leave," he explained.

He opened the door to reveal a large, but surprisingly empty room.

Matt smacked a hand to his forehead. "I can't believe I forgot. Watari did say that he was having all our things shipped to our new rooms in the Tokyo Headquarters. Well, at least he left a mattress."

He led the hacker inside and directed her to place her suitcase next to the bed while he searched around to see what was left. Luckily, he managed to find some spare sheets along with a pillow and a light blanket.

As the teens dressed the bed, the young man explained, "Sorry about earlier. I'm technically not supposed to bring anyone else in, otherwise I would have introduced you as yourself."

"That's fine. I kinda figured it was something like that anyway," she commented.

He smiled up at her as they finished, standing up straight. "So, what do you wanna do while we're here?"

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. You've lived here for a few years, why don't you decide what's worth doing?"

"Fair enough." Miles pursed his lips as he thought for a few moments before smiling. "I think I have a few ideas that you might like."

She nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise," he teased with a playful smirk.

She laughed and nudged him. "Fair enough."

 

It had been a long day full of sightseeing and laughter. Miles had taken Amy around to see the Tower Bridge and Hyde Park, where they spent a while walking around and enjoying the sights. They also spent a few hours exploring Central London. Although they wanted to take pictures together for the sake of the memory, the danger that was associated with investigating the Kira case kept them from indulging. Still, they ran around as Amelia admired everything, each occasionally sending a longing glance at the other when no one was looking. Matt took her to his favorite restaurant for dinner, and while her tongue was not used to the flavors of England, Bambi warmed up to the food rather quickly.

As the day began to end, he took her to one last sight: the London Eye. The pair of geniuses managed to get in on the last ride of the day on the awe-inspiring Ferris wheel. They sat next to each other in the capsule, watching the London skyline as they were lifted off the ground. Warmth rushed to Amy's cheeks as she felt Miles sitting by her side, their fingers brushing again as they both directed their gazes across the river. She smiled at the sensation, keeping her face out of his field of vision until the blush died down. Out of everyone she had met since her time as Robin Hood came to a screeching halt, Matt was the person she considered to be her closest friend. Truthfully, she feared that her feelings would get in the way of that, and she didn't want to lose another friend for such selfish reasons.

She sighed as she cast the thoughts away, instead turning to the past few weeks she had spent with the redhead. It was so nice to spend all this time with him, not worrying about mass murderers trying to kill them, or about the state of the world, or the lack of evidence.

The corners of her lips curved upward into a warm smile as she whispered, "Thank you."

Miles raised an eyebrow. "You're welcome, but... for what?"

"For everything," she explained. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time. I wish we could do stuff like this all the time."

He smiled softly at her as he confessed, "I would too. Hey, maybe after your contract expires we could have another little vacation together?"

She smiled up at him. "I would like that."

"Then it's a promise."

*** * * July 23 * * ***

It had been nearly a month since the computer geniuses had set out on their mission to their homes, and they were finally back in Japan. After arriving at the new headquarters, Matt and Bambi grabbed their luggage and headed out. The building itself was massive and elegant, surpassing the hotels the task force had been using the past few months. The young adults followed Watari's instructions to bypass the security system as they entered the building. Once finished, the pair climbed into the elevator and waited as it took them to what they were told in Watari's email was the main investigative floor.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal a huge open room filled with all sorts of screens, tables, cabinets, computers, and everything else one would need for the comfort of the new investigative headquarters. As Amelia took in the sight, she couldn't help but compare it to the headquarters that she shared with Near in Washington DC. Being a newer building, it was more modern and streamlined, but it was largely similar to hers, albeit more spacious.

Familiar faces greeted the pair as the young woman looked off to one side of the room. Mogi and Aizawa were in the far corner, hovering over a mess of paperwork on the table. One of them looked up at her with wide eyes, clearly surprised to see the two geniuses standing there. The brunette's eyes continued to wander closer to the door and she noticed Mello walking around with a chocolate bar in hand. He looked up at her and Matt with a smile. She watched as the redhead approached his partner with a grin.

In the corner nearest to her was Near. Her partner turned to face the elevator and froze when his eyes locked with hers. He frowned as he glanced across the room.

Bambi scrunched her nose, wondering what had caused his adverse reaction to seeing her. She was sure that he didn't hate her anymore, so why would he be so displeased? The brunette followed Near's gaze to the other side of the room.

There she could see L sitting in front of a group of computer screens, his thumb pressed to his mouth as he looked at the newcomers pensively. What the hacker didn't expect, however, was the teen sitting next to him.

Light's eyes were wide as he gaped at her. "Emily?"

Amy froze as her lips curved into a crooked smile. _Well, that would explain Near's reaction._ She waved awkwardly at her former classmate.

"You're on the task force?" Light asked.

The young woman winced as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Well, there's no hiding it now. Yeah, Ryuzaki had me enroll at To-Oh to keep an eye on you."

He sighed. "That's what I was afraid of."

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows. "How long have you known?"

"I considered it while we were in To-Oh," he admitted. "I saw an article shortly after we met, and it clearly depicted you as Beyond Birthday's victim. I didn't say anything during our project because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, but given the circumstances and how he was clearly obsessed with Ryuzaki, it made it fairly clear that you were working for him."

She pursed her lips and nodded. _So he did know the whole time._

L chimed with a grin on his face. "Why were you researching Beyond Birthday before your project? Contrary to public knowledge, he was killed by Kira."

Light's eyes went wide for a moment before he explained, "I just stumbled upon it while practicing my English."

L nodded as Bambi made her way toward the pair. During her approach, she noticed the long chain that handcuffed the two geniuses together. She furrowed her eyebrows as she realized that this meant that L still suspected Light – or he was letting his own stubbornness get in the way.

The brunette looked over to her former classmate with a raised eyebrow. "So, why are you here, anyway?"

L answered before the teen could. "We put him and Miss Amane through a test. Soichiro took them away and threatened them with a gun – very convincingly, might I add. If Light or Misa were Kira, they would have killed him to save themselves. Since he is no longer a suspect, I asked Light to assist us in catching Kira again."

She nodded to herself before glancing to the handcuffs again. _He's probably just being stubborn since he was wrong._

Light's voice drew the young woman out of her thoughts as he smiled softly at her. "Even though we both lied to each other about our involvement with the case, I still enjoyed our time together at To-Oh. I would still like to get to know the real Emily."

The hacker smiled. "Yeah, it would be nice to be friends again, but call me Bambi."

The young man's expression fell. "Is that a fake name too?"

"Yup."

He pursed his lips. "You can trust me now. If my own word isn't good enough for you, Ryuzaki also proved that I'm not Kira."

Amelia shot him an awkwardly apologetic smile. "Well, I can't tell you that until the case is over. It's just agent protocol stuff – like how Mello and Near aren't going by their real names either. Don't take it personally."

He looked down and nodded.

L smiled up at the young woman before standing. "Light and I will escort you to your room."

Bambi raised an eyebrow, shocked at the offer from the head detective. Still, after the brunet stood, the pair of geniuses led her into the elevator.

It was silent for a few moments before L spoke up. "I presume your mission was successful?"

She nodded. "Yeah, Matt and I got all our files as promised."

The raven-haired detective nodded and smiled. "It's good to have you back, Bambi. We could use your expertise again."

Robin Hood tilted her head. "Do you have something in mind?"

"Yes, we need a new program to analyze potential Kira murders."

She pursed her lips. "Yeah, I can do that. Just let me put all my stuff away. You set up my computer, right?"

"Correct."

The doors opened, revealing a long hallway with a single door on either wall and a second elevator at the far end. L gestured for Bambi to follow him and Light, so she picked up her suitcase and walked beside them.

"Your personal quarters are free of surveillance, as are those of Near, Mello, and Matt," he explained. "The roof is the only other area of the building that is private."

"Okay."

Just as L and Light stopped to let the brunette into her suite, the opposite door opened.

"Oh, and you will be sharing a floor with Misa," L added as the blonde stepped into view.

Misa furrowed her eyebrows at the hacker. "You're that Emily girl. What are you doing here?"

Bambi flashed an awkward smile at the young woman. "Actually I'm Bambi, one of Ryuzaki's agents."

She immediately brightened up. "Oh, that's okay, then. It's nice to meet you, Bambi!"

The brunette returned her smile. "Yeah, you too."

While Amelia had no qualms with the model, L apparently did. The head detective rushed Bambi and Light into her room to show her around.


	28. A Breath of Fresh Air

*** * * July 28 * * ***

Bambi and Matt had only been back in Japan for a few days, but L made sure to get them back up to speed with the case. Apparently they had no leads whatsoever, only the confusion that came with criminals being killed again while their prime suspects were locked up in cells. Soon after arriving at headquarters, Bambi was assigned to write a new program to find Kira's victims and patterns in hopes of leading to a new profile. Thankfully, Watari had all her belongings shipped to her new suite, including her computer – which was far more powerful than her laptop or anything else they had at headquarters.

Over the past several days, the brunette had also learned that Matsuda was acting as Misa's manager to keep an eye on her while she wasn't at headquarters – and L made sure to keep her away as often as possible. After the blonde learned that Bambi was just spying on Light at To-Oh as a part of the Kira investigation, she became very friendly with her. Although the hacker only really saw her in the hallway between their suites, Misa would often stop to converse. While Bambi was unable to place the reason, the blonde reminded her of Melinda quite a bit – and she took solace in that.

Amy was currently down on the investigation floor with the rest of the task force, sitting next to L and Light as she explained how her latest program analyzed heart attack deaths. As she explained what made this program more automated than the last one the elevator doors opened, revealing Misa and Matsuda.

The blonde jovially bounced to the center of the room as she announced, "Guess what? I just got the lead role in a movie! We're going to start working on it next week."

Bambi smiled as she turned around. "Wow! Congratulations, Misa! What kind of movie is it?"

"It's a romantic comedy!" the budding actress told her.

Misa received words of congratulations from Matt, Soichiro, L, and Light before pecking her boyfriend on the cheek and retreating to her room. After Bambi finished up her explanation, she noticed Soichiro approach his son and sit down beside him.

"What's wrong, Light? You don't seem happy about Misa's success," he began with a concerned tone in his voice.

Bambi and L watched the brunet as he sighed and confessed, "I am happy for her, but lately I've noticed that I don't really like her anymore. Yes, she's nice, but she's not on my mental level and it drives me crazy just to talk to her."

As Soichiro nodded understandingly, L chimed in. "You should keep dating her anyway, Light. She's pretty, and we need her under control."

The hacker furrowed her eyebrows. "What?! That's a terrible basis for a relationship. Don't listen to him, Light."

Soichiro put a hand on his son's shoulder, making the teen turn to face him. "Just do what you think is right."

The brunet nodded and pursed his lips for a few moments before dragging L to the elevator, presumably to talk to Misa.

Amelia frowned as she watched them disappear, hoping that Light wouldn't listen to L's horrible advice. A few minutes passed before she gave up on seeing either of them anytime soon, so she stood and approached the rest of the Wammy Teams to start going through the evidence with them.

It took quite some time for the pair of geniuses to return, but the hacker was so focused on her task that she didn't bother to speak to either of them. Late into the night, long after the Japanese detectives returned to their homes, Bambi finally decided to retire to her quarters. After bidding goodnight to her remaining coworkers, she entered the elevator and let it take he to the floor she shared with Misa.

The doors opened and she traversed the hallway to her door, but as the young woman paused to reach for the handle faraway sobs tackled her eardrums. She paused for a moment as she glanced to the door behind her, the only place they could be coming from. A slight frown tugged at the corners of the teen's lips as she recalled the earlier conversation Soichiro had with Light, knowing that he had most likely broken up with the blonde.

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, pouting as she tried to convince herself out of it. As much as she wanted sleep, she couldn't just leave Misa like that. With an exasperated sigh, she turned and approached the blonde's door.

She hesitated before knocking and calling out, "Misa? You okay in there?"

After a few more minutes of trying to at least somewhat politely get her attention, the blonde had still not responded – either ignoring Bambi's pleas or being too upset to hear them. With a sigh, the brunette opened the door and let herself in.

Similar to her room there was a large open space with a few places to sit, eat, and watch television, but that wasn't what Amy was looking for. She followed the sound of sobs into a back room and opened the door, revealing a large bedroom. Misa was curled into a ball on her bed, her face shoved into a pillow as she cried.

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows as she approached the model, leaning over and placing a comforting hand on her back as she quietly asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Misa took in a shaky breath through the pillow before telling her, "L-Light broke up with me!"

Unable to keep herself together, the blonde burst into tears again.

Bambi frowned as she looked over the blonde. _I know it's better that they don't stay together if they're not both into each other, but she clearly still cares for him. It must be hard..._

It was awkwardly silent for a while except for Misa's hysteria. What was Bambi supposed to do in this situation anyway? Misa was clearly jealous of her just for being around Light when she first saw the hacker at To-Oh, but this past week she had been much nicer. Besides, was it really her place to say anything? What would she even say?

Still, she was already there, so she should probably try to help _somehow._

Amy sighed and looked down. "I would be lying if I said that I knew what you're going through right now. I've had crushes that didn't work out, but never anything like this." She paused for a moment as she took a seat next to the blonde. "What I do know is that it's going to hurt for a while, and that's okay. And don't hold back – cry your eyes out if you have to." She gently held onto Misa's hand. "You don't have to go through this alone. I'm here for you, and so is Matsui."

Misa pushed herself up and wrapped her arms around Bambi, pushing her face into the brunette's abdomen as she continued to cry. Amy gently stroked her hair in silence until she fell asleep.

*** * * August 3 * * ***

Nearly a week had passed since Light broke up with Misa, and as much as she didn't want to get out of bed, Matsui made sure that she did. Her manager reminded her of the reading that was scheduled for her movie and convinced her to come to it. The blonde was wearing more plain clothes than her usual style, but it was presentable enough.

She followed Matsui into the large conference room filled with the other actors for the movie she would be starring in. While a part of Misa was excited for her big break, she still struggled to hold a smile as various producers and actors approached her in greetings.

Soon the director approached her with a tall man in tow behind him. "Misa, it's great to see you! This is Hideki Ryuga, your costar."

With that said the tall man smiled and stepped forward. "It's nice to meet you." He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment. "Are you alright?"

The blonde pursed her lips and looked down. "My boyfriend broke up with me last week."

Hideki frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that." He then placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. "If this gets too hard for you today, just let me or Mr. Nishinaka know. I'm sure they'll let us break for a bit if you need it."

She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked up at him curiously. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, they're pretty lenient about it as long as we get things done today," he explained.

Misa was silent as she stared at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. Now that she took the time to actually take in his appearance, she noticed that he had shoulder-length brown hair in a cut that reminded her of Ryuzaki. She couldn't help but find him attractive. As she opened her mouth to speak, the director called out to have everyone sit in their spots around the table to go through the first reading of the script.

The actors, writers, producers, and director all had labeled seats directly at the large circle with a copy of the script waiting for them. The managers all sat behind their respective actors as they kept an eye on things. Being one of the main characters, Misa was given a seat near the director along with her costar, Hideki. Once everyone was settled the reading commenced.

It began with a narration by Hideki's character, vaguely going on about how he didn't expect such a set of mundane events to lead him to the woman he would marry. Then the action began with a dialogue between his character and some others. It wasn't until a few scenes later when Misa's character would be introduced.

As the reading went on, she found herself smiling more and thinking less of Light. Misa's character and Hideki's character continually met in unplanned accidents with a recurring theme of the red string of fate. Finally, after hours of work, they made it to the confession scene. The characters were meant to be in a park as they held hands and faced each other.

Hideki read his lines with such genuine emotion that Misa felt her heart soar. She knew it was just a script, but she truly felt like he was confessing his love to her. A blush had settled on her cheeks by the time he stopped and it was time for her part of the confession. While she hesitated and stuttered a bit, the director loved it, commenting on how real that whole exchange felt and how glad he was to have these two actors.

The reading ended shortly after the confession scene and the participants all stayed to mingle a bit before the director announced when shooting would begin. Misa's mood had improved tremendously by that point, smiling as she laughed along with the other actors.

Hideki was one of the last to come up to her with a smile. "You sounded amazing, Misa. I had to keep reminding myself that this was your first acting job."

The blonde blushed again as she smiled up at him. "Thank you! You did great too."

"Thank you. I really like to get to know my costars when I do movies," he began. "So, I was thinking we could meet for lunch this weekend to discuss how we're going to do our scenes."

"I would love to!"

Hideki's manager tapped on his shoulder and gestured for the door.

The brunet nodded and took out a small piece of paper before writing on it and handing it to Misa. "Sorry, I have another meeting, so I have to go. Here's my number. Just give me a call and we'll set up that date."

"O-Okay."

Misa waved as she watched Hideki walk off, her heart fluttering as he gave her one last smile.

*** * * August 7 * * ***

The moon was high on that stormy summer's eve, droplets of rain pattering against the windows, but Bambi was neither sleeping nor working on the case. Misa had a rare day off from her usual busy schedule, and L decided to send the brunette to distract her all day to keep her away from the investigation. As the blonde put it, they were simply having a girl's night in her room.

Amelia was currently sitting across from the model on the carpeted floor in her bedroom, nail care products scattered around them. It was Misa's idea to paint each other's nails in a sort of bonding exercise between the two of them. A part of Bambi wondered which of the investigators was bored out of their minds right now as they watched her and Misa's activities.

The hacker kept finding herself distracted by the conversation, so it took three times longer than it should have for her to finish painting the blonde's nails. With Misa's nails now painted and dried, it was now her turn to paint Bambi's nails. Content with taking some time to relax, she decided to let the model do as she pleased.

The blonde gestured to the large collection of nail polish around them both. "Pick a color. I can do designs too, if you want."

Bambi pursed her lips before picking out a bright red. "How about this one?"

"Sure!"

The blonde shook the bottle before uncapping it and taking Amy's hand. The brunette felt her body start to relax as Misa painted. Whether she would outwardly admit it or not, she was enjoying being pampered like this – at least a little. The model turned out to be very skilled in nail-painting, even able to keep the brush aligned as she looked up at Bambi during their conversations – though, now it was mostly the hacker listening to Misa talk about how the movie was going so far. As she excitedly went on and on, Amelia noted that she appeared much happier than she had been last week.

Bambi smiled softly at her. "It's good to see you back to normal, Misa. Did anything happen?"

Misa smiled and looked down sheepishly as her cheeks were dusted a light pink. "Well, there's this guy... His name is Hideki, and he's my costar in the movie. He's so handsome and sweet. We met for lunch to work out our characters the other day, and I really like him." Misa looked up at her with a sly grin as she added, "Now that I've told you who I like, you have to tell me who you like! And don't deny it. I see how you get with everyone downstairs."

The hacker couldn't help but blush as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Oh, come on Misa. You know they're all listening."

The blonde pouted. "Oh, fine. But he _is_ on the task force?"

Amy ignored the question and looked away slightly, though Misa easily read through this. She dropped the topic with a sly grin and continued painting the brunette's nails.

They sat there in comfortable silence before the model asked, "So, how's the case going?"

Bambi huffed a sigh. "Frankly, we're not getting anywhere. All our past leads led to you and Light, and since that's clearly not the case, we're completely lost."

Misa pursed her lips and nodded. "You know, my mom always said that when you get stuck on a problem, you should take a break and do something fun. The solution always comes when you're not thinking about it."

The brunette pursed her lips for a moment before shrugging. "Maybe. I don't know if we'd be allowed to, though. Ryuzaki gets really stubborn sometimes."

*** * * August 8 * * ***

Thanks to the lack of progress, tensions had been high within the Task Force. The Wammy Teams were sitting at a table as they manually went through the murders that the young woman's program had picked out as significant. Aizawa, Soichiro, and Matsuda were sitting in another corner of the room as they kept an eye on the surveillance cameras while sorting through another set of paperwork. L and Light were sitting together at the main computers as they went through a set of murders that the newest program had previously identified as likely Kira murders, though from what Bambi was overhearing, they weren't exactly focusing on the case.

"…but you don't seem to have any motivation," Light pointed out.

"Motivation?" L repeated, more monotone than usual. "I don't have any. I'm actually depressed."

Amy looked up to see Light wide-eyed as he repeated, "Depressed?"

"Yes. It's because I kept thinking you were Kira," L explained as he took a bite of his cake. "It's just a shock if that theory is wrong." He paused for a moment before looking down at the long handcuffs that chained them together. "No, I still have suspicions about you. That's why we're doing this. However, Kira was able to control peoples' actions. So, Kira controlled you and Misa in a way that I'd suspect you. If I think of it that way, then the ends meet. But, why you two are still alive is the part that doesn't make sense."

Light folded his arms as he eyed the detective warily. "Ryuzaki, with that theory, wouldn't Misa and I, although controlled, have been Kira?"

"Yes, there'd be no question about that. You are both Kira," L accused.

Light furrowed his eyebrows as he stared down the raven-haired detective. With a glance around, Bambi noticed that everyone had paused to listen in on the conversation.

"The way I see it," L began, "when you were detained, you were Kira. And when you were detained, the criminals stopped dying. Until that point, you being Kira makes sense. However, after two weeks, the criminals started dying again. From that, this next assumption is a possibility. Kira's power passes on from person to person. The second Kira's video also mentioned something about sharing Kira's power."

Light was silent for a moment as he looked forward. "It's an interesting thought, but if Kira was able to do that, then there is no way to catch him."

"Yes, that's why I'm stuck," L admitted. "Controlling someone to kill criminals… If that person gets caught, then the powers transfer to someone else and their memories disappear. There would be no closure just by catching them."

There was another short silence before Light spoke up. "But that hasn't been officially decided yet. We still don't know enough about Kira." He smiled and put an encouraging hand on L's shoulder. "Bring out some motivation."

"Motivation?" L repeated. "I can't bring out much. No, it's not a good idea to try too hard. By trying too hard to chase we put our lives at greater risk, don't you think? To think how many times I thought I was going to die… and my successors too..."

Light's back was to the rest of the task force as he stood and looked down at the great detective. "Ryuzaki…"

L looked up only to be met with Light's fist, throwing him across the room.

Light managed to catch himself as he narrowed his eyes at the older man. "Don't be ridiculous. Because I'm not the real Kira – because your theory was wrong – you have no motivation?"

L rubbed his cheek. "I may have said it badly. Let's not make a move because the situation might just get worse."

"What are you talking about? If we don't move then there's no way to catch him. Who's the one that told Kira that he'd have him executed on TV?" Light argued before grabbing L by his shirt collar. "How many policemen, FBI agents, announcers and other innocent people do you think got involved? And aren't you the one who detained me and Misa?"

"I know," L told him. "But, no matter what…" He kicked Light in the face. "One time is one time!"

As both men crouched on the ground, Light called him out on being unsatisfied with any result other than Light being Kira. Much to Bambi's surprise, L admitted that he was correct. Still, the physical fight continued between words.

The brunette found herself gritting her teeth. She wasn't bothered by their argument, but exchanging blows was more than enough to test her patience.

She heard Matsuda in a slight panic off to the side as he said, "We- We have to go and stop them!"

Soichiro sounded more disappointed than anything as he told him, "Matsuda, leave them."

The fight continued as L and Light knocked each other around the computer station. The longer this went on, the more it got on Amy's already-heightened nerves. Her whole body began to shake as she glared at the pair.

Near glanced over to his partner and warned, "Bambi, you should stay out of it."

L kicked Light in the chest before the brunet retaliated with another punch to his face. Something snapped within the hacker as she jumped up from her seat.

"That's it!" she growled.

Before anyone could stop her, she rushed to the fighting geniuses to stop this nonsense and threw herself into the fray. She was quick to use Light's own punch against him as she redirected it and twisted his arm, pinning him against the table. Meanwhile she had grabbed a nearby chair with her other hand and used it to hold L back.

There was an audible gasp from behind the geniuses, prompting Bambi to briefly glance to the other occupants of the room. Matsuda was standing there, dumbstruck at her abilities. Soichiro and Aizawa had matching expressions of widened eyes and mouths partially agape. Mello had a hand over his mouth, appearing to try to stifle his laughter. Matt wore the same expression that the Japanese detectives had, and Near simply looked on with a frown.

She whipped around to face the two men she had just subdued. Light gave her a more apologetic smile, but L was clearly furious, glaring daggers at the hacker as he frowned.

The brunette narrowed her eyes as she looked between the pair of men. "Look, I get that you're frustrated, and arguing is just fine, but fighting like that won't get you anywhere."

L scoffed. "You're such a hypocrite, Bambi. You and Mello fought each other when you first met, so what does that say about you?"

She narrowed her eyes in a ferocious glare as she released Light and stared down the detective.

"You think I don't know that?" she seethed. "I am very _intimately_ aware of that, _and_ of what consequences it had for both of us."

Amelia dropped the chair as she got even closer to the tall man, blood boiling as her body shook in a mixture of rage and other hidden emotions.

"Thanks to our stupid fight Beyond Birthday got the upper hand and nearly killed both of us!" she snapped. "And Kira is a much bigger threat than Beyond, so we all need to keep our guards up and stay at the top of our games if we want even a chance at catching him."

L's expression softened slightly as he tightly shut his mouth, though he sent a short glare to Light. The brunet ignored the great detective, his eyes still wide from what she had just confirmed.

Bambi frowned as she backed away, a heavy sigh passing through her lips. "Look, I get that you're both frustrated, but fighting like this will just make things worse – believe me, I understand more than anyone."

Still unable to quell her mixed feelings of frustration and anger, she turned around. Without meeting anyone's eyes, she entered the elevator and left.

 

Bambi stood there on the roof, hands in her pockets as she watched the skies begin to bathe the city in a cool rain. For a moment, she considered returning indoors, but the tears of the clouds reached her faster than she could decide. Accepting her wet fate and not wanting to face the investigators again so soon, the teen opted to remain where she stood, passively observing the world around her as she tried to ignore her own racing thoughts – images of Beyond Birthday flashing across her mind's eye, though she was still fully aware of her reality.

Not much time had passed before the door creaked, alerting the young woman to a newcomer. As she turned to see who it was, she was greeted by a sudden lack of rain directly overhead. Matt smiled at the brunette as he stepped closer, joining her under the umbrella he was holding over her head. Amy wearily smiled up at him, not minding the intimate closeness between their bodies.

"They're all arguing about whether L and Light should be chained together," he explained. "I thought you could use the company anyway."

She wrapped her hand around his as she helped him hold the umbrella. "Thank you."

His smile faltered as he glanced away. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

The hacker breathed a heavy sigh before admitting, "Honestly, I'm kinda frustrated that we're not getting anywhere, and obviously about their stupid fight, but since we're so stuck and now there's more to think about, I keep thinking about what happened last winter." She hesitated to find the words. "I know that it's not normal for it to go away this fast, but it still gets to me every now and then. I haven't had a true flashback in a while, but I still keep thinking about it and how helpless everything felt. Maybe it's because I felt this frustrated with the case before he did what he did…"

Bambi trailed off as she frowned, unable to make herself meet his gaze. Matt hesitated before carefully wrapping his free arm around her. A warm feeling encompassed her entire being, instincts taking over as she released the umbrella and wrapped her arms around his waist, gently pressing herself against him.

Miles sighed before resting his head against hers. "I wish I had the magic words to make it all better, but I don't know what to do. All I can say is that from my own experiences, you need to take advantage of your support system. Everyone here wants to help you, so don't feel bad if you have to ask for help." There was a paused before he confessed, "I still feel guilty about everything that happened. I often find myself wondering if I could have done anything differently to stop Beyond from taking you."

The corners of her lips curved into a frown as she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "It's not your fault, Miles. It never was your fault and it will never be your fault. It was just a string of badly-timed events."

The redhead gave her a sad smile. "As much as you tell me that and as much as I try to tell myself that, I might never believe it, but that's what I'm getting at. You can never change the past – I know that more than anyone – but you can change the way you view it. In a messed up kind of way, we never would have really been able to get to know each other if he didn't take you because L probably wouldn't have brought us all to the Kira case otherwise."

Amy couldn't help the soft smile that rose to her lips as she whispered, "I guess you're right."

Matt returned the smile, standing there in silence for a few moments before he faked a cough and pulled out of the embrace. "You should probably try to get some sleep. Come on."

He gestured for her to follow and she complied, staying under the umbrella with him. The pair took the elevator down to the floor Bambi lived before the brunette bid him goodnight. She stood there for a few moments gazing at the closed doors before retreating into her room. The hacker took a quick shower and changed into dry pajamas before plopping down on her bed.

Although her prior worries had melted away with their embrace, her mind was racing in a different direction – one that sent her heart fluttering and her stomach churning. Miles had never hugged her before, let alone for so long. Did it mean something? The only other people she had ever really hugged were her caretaker, Carol, and her close friends, Kato and Melinda. Maybe that's all it was? A friendship thing. After all, he always had her back like best friends do. Not to mention that she clearly had a history of misreading people's feelings as romantic.

Yes, that had to be it. There was no way that he reciprocated her feelings.

Bambi couldn't help but laugh when she looked down and discovered that she had been absentmindedly holding the plush panda that Matt had won her at the festival. Her lips curved into a soft smile. _Well... whatever it is, I don't mind it._


	29. Breakthrough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near turns 18 partway through the chapter.

*** * * August 9 * * ***

It was the morning following Bambi's outburst. Once she woke up and joined the investigators downstairs, she was informed that the argument that Matt had told her about had ultimately led to L's decision to no longer keep Light chained to him – though, like Misa, he was still not allowed to leave the building without any supervision.

Amy was currently sitting at a table with the rest of the Wammy Teams in the investigation room. Despite his newly-freed status, Light mostly kept around L and the Japanese detectives. Mello had made it very clear that he disliked the brunet, and Near wasn't exactly being hospitable either, so the former Kira suspect was keeping his distance from them.

Partway through the successors' work, L walked up to the table to see how they were progressing. Around the same time, Misa jovially entered the room and stopped next to the Wammy geniuses.

"Hey, Bambi! Guess what? I have the day off," she announced with a grin. "We should hang out and do something fun."

The brunette flashed her an apologetic smile. "I would if I could, but I'm working right now. Maybe later?"

The blonde pouted. "Aww, come on. _Please?"_

"Sorry, but-"

L interrupted Bambi to admit, "Actually, that sounds like a good idea. Perhaps your mother was onto something with the idea of relaxing to improve brain function."

Amelia's eyes went wide. L – Mister all work and no play – was suggesting to pause the investigation for leisure time? If she was indeed hearing him correctly, he must have been incredibly desperate.

Misa's eyes lit up in excitement. "You mean you guys are actually going to take a break?"

The great detective nodded as he put a thumb to his lips. "Yes, that is what I'm suggesting. Watari and I commissioned this building with the intent of selling it as a hotel after our use for it was over, so there is a pool being maintained on the eleventh floor. I will have Watari purchase swimwear for anyone who needs it."

The model bounced up and down. "Oh, can I invite my friends now? You know I've been asking you to let me have them over."

He pursed his lips for a moment. "I don't see the harm in it."

"Yay~!"

Misa raced off as the great detective silently shuffled away from the table. L's four potential successors exchanged glances in a silent discussion of the strange conversation that had just taken place. Mello raised an eyebrow as he looked over to Matt. The redhead shrugged his shoulders before turning to Bambi with a raised eyebrow, passing the unspoken question onto her. With the eyes of both older men on her, she raised her hands in mock defense as if to say that she didn't want the responsibility of deciding how to handle the situation.

The three geniuses then turned to the youngest of the group. Near sat there, twirling his hair for a few moments as he frowned before refocusing his attention on the paperwork. The computer geeks turned to Mello in unison, watching as the blond furrowed his eyebrows.

He dropped his hands to the table with a heavy thud as he stood. "Well, I'll meet you guys downstairs."

With the decision made, they dispersed.

Some time had passed before Misa's friends arrived for what she was calling a pool party. Bambi had changed into the same bathing suit that she wore in the hot tub in Los Angeles eight months ago and the hacker was currently in the elevator as she made her way to the eleventh floor. The doors opened to reveal a large pool with many reclining beach chairs lining the perimeter. Misa and her friends – who were all clearly from her modeling agency – were scattered all around on the chairs and in the water as they conversed and splashed one another.

Off in the deep end of the pool the brunette could see Matt and Mello roughhousing between their apparent diving competitions. She couldn't help but grin at the sight. Given their boyish games, she had almost forgotten what geniuses they were – both men appearing as normal teenagers.

As the teen looked off to the side, she noticed a decently-sized hot tub where Light and L were relaxing and talking. She wondered if L would really be able to stick to the idea of not thinking about the case while sitting there.

A quick look around showed her that none of the Japanese detectives were present. Unsurprisingly, Watari was also absent from the area. Similarly, Near was nowhere to be found. Knowing her partner, Bambi deduced that he probably refused to take part in the activities and was staying in his room to think.

Amy carefully began to walk around the pool toward Matt and Mello, but Misa waved her down and called out, "Hey, Bambi! Come here so you can meet my friends!"

The brunette halted her steps, glancing to the boys at the back for a moment before stepping into the pool and wading over to Misa.

"This is my newest friend, Bambi," she introduced before giving the genius the names of the three young women standing around them.

Given Misa's enthusiasm, they seemed to accept Bambi into their group with relative ease. The women spent some time floating around as the models talked about their upcoming photoshoot, some inviting the brunette to come along. After a while, the constant splashes at the deep end started attracting attention from some of the models around the pool. Amelia looked up to notice Matt and Mello showing off in their diving competition. She couldn't help the corners of her lips from curving into a smile as she watched on.

Misa shot her a sly grin as she teased, "It's one of them isn't it?"

Bambi stuck her tongue out playfully as she folded her arms. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Still, she couldn't help the slight blush that rose to her cheeks, contradicting her statement. Misa folded her arms as she stared the genius down with a knowing smirk. The girls around them didn't appear to notice as the blonde dropped the topic and continued her earlier conversations with ease. After a few more minutes of listening, Amy decided to get away from the mindless chatter. She got out of the pool and made her way to the hot tub.

The hacker greeted L and Light as she stepped into the soothing warmth of the water, noting that they were not discussing the case for once. The men returned her greetings, Light with a warm smile and L with a more lethargic one. Still, L seemed happier than he had been lately – or at least more relaxed.

"I have to admit," he began, "while I had doubts about the success rate of this relaxation method, so far it has noticeably allowed me to think more clearly. Not only that, but my body feels more relaxed. I didn't realize how tense I had gotten."

Bambi smiled warmly at him. "It's good to have you back to yourself, Ryuzaki."

The trio sat there in an amicable silence as Amelia felt the warmth of the water jets massaging her back. She found herself closing her eyes to let herself fall deeper into her state of relaxation as she listened to the sounds of the guests playing in the pool. At some point into the teen's near-meditative state, she heard someone disturb the water of the hot tub. She peeked an eye open to see L standing, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"That's it!" he cried out. "We spent so much time focusing on criminal deaths that we completely overlooked non-criminal heart attack deaths. The key to finding Kira must lie in those. Bambi, I need you to run your program without the criminal filter."

With this exciting new lead, the young woman was quick to follow L and Light out of the hot tub. After separating to change, the three of them met on the investigative floor to carry out the new plan. A few moments passed as the hacker opened her program and edited out the lines of code that created the original filter, replacing them with a more useful one.

They waited a few minutes as Bambi ran the program again and it poured out the relevant data. As expected, there were many innocent people who died in their old age of heart attacks – likely natural ones. However, the next cluster of younger deaths left Robin Hood standing there with her eyes wide open.

She covered her mouth as she fell into her chair, mumbling a breathless, "Holy shit."

Light raised an eyebrow as L asked, "Care to share your discovery, Bambi?"

The brunette shook off her stupor to explain, "Those three men are Yotsuba executives. They were all appointed after I outed the corrupt ones."

Her former classmate pursed his lips for a moment as he glanced to the side. "This could mean that Kira works for Yotsuba and is trying to get higher up in the company."

She nodded. "It would make sense. A few of these other deaths were CEOs of Yotsuba's competitors."

"We can't know for sure if Kira is in Yotsuba unless their stocks rise, though this appears to be a promising lead," L added.

"What's a promising lead?"

Bambi turned to face the elevator where the new voice came from and was greeted with the sight of Matt and Mello standing there, still in their damp swim trunks as they approached the group. L explained the situation to the pair as they stopped by the screens.

A few moments passed as Miles pursed his lips before turning to Amelia. "Didn't your friend have a program that could predict stock changes based off external influences?"

She grinned. "That's it!"

Without another word the teen hurried off to her room to call Kato. Once in the privacy of her living quarters, the brunette took out her phone and dialed her old friend's cell number. She listened to the rings for a few moments before he answered.

"This is Kato Nakamura speaking. Who is calling?"

"It's me."

She heard him quietly gasp before whispering, "Amelia? Why are you calling me?"

"I have a favor to ask of you," she explained. "We found a new lead, but we can only be sure if their stocks rise. Since we would have to wait until October otherwise, I wanted to know if you would send me your program."

"Of course. Anything to help you take him down." There was a pause before he added, "I'm sending you the files now. Good luck."

"Thanks. We should be one step closer now."

With that said, they bid their farewells and hung up.

After putting away her phone, Bambi made her way to her computer and downloaded the program. Following Kato's instructions, she input the externalities into the analyzer and waited for it to compute the predictions. Thanks to the superior power of her desktop, the wait was short. A small window popped up with the results of the analysis – Yotsuba stocks were set to skyrocket. Without wasting another moment, she rushed downstairs to share the news.

By the time the young woman made it back to the investigation floor, Matt and Mello were dried and dressed. Near and a few of the Japanese detectives had also joined the team in her absence, though some of them were stuck monitoring the security cameras as Misa's friends departed from the building. Those who were not busy gathered around as the hacker explained the verdict.

When she finished speaking, L grinned and put a thumb to his lip. "We should acquire Yotsuba's digital files and search them for incriminating information so we can start looking for Kira."

There was a resounding murmur of agreement amongst the group, though Bambi and Matt knew better.

The redhead frowned as he chimed in. "Their security system is much more advanced than it was a few years ago, especially after being targeted by Robin Hood. There's no way I could ever hack into them, and as incredibly skilled as she is, not even Bambi could do it from the outside anymore."

L's smile disappeared as he turned to the brunette for confirmation.

She nodded her head and explained, "They're not dumb, and their security system is far too protected against outside attacks. Even when I tried to check on them last year, I couldn't get in."

There was a silence before Near suggested, "We should have Bambi work on the inside to give her access to their computers. It worked well for our last case."

L pursed his lips as he nodded.

Light chimed in with a slight venom in his voice. "She's a good enough actress to get away with it."

Bambi tightened her lips into a thin line as she looked away.

"There's probably going to be physical evidence too," Mello pointed out.

"Then we should have you search for that while Bambi works on the digital evidence," L decided. "We just need to find open positions that would suit our needs."

After watching Light turn to walk away, the hacker followed Mello and L to the computers and searched online for available jobs at the nearby Yotsuba office building. After some time researching, they found that a new secretary position had just been posted the other day and was now accepting applications. There were also several openings for nightshift janitors.

"You should apply at separate times to appear unrelated," L told the pair. "Though, we need a new alias for Bambi and to create paper trails for both of you."

"I have a contact who specializes in forging documents specifically for that," Mello admitted.

The head detective grinned. "I'll take you up on that offer."

With that decided, everyone dispersed to work on their new tasks – morale much higher than it had been yesterday. Still, Bambi couldn't help the forlorn look in her eye as she gazed off to Light. A pit of guilt swelled in her stomach as she thought to his comment earlier. After a few moments of self-pity regarding her soured friendship with the former Kira suspect, she narrowed her eyes in a fierce determination and stalked over to him.

She grabbed Light's arm before telling him with a stern tone, "Hey, we need to talk."

Before he could argue, she pulled him away from the investigation and into the stairwell.

Light frowned as he folded his arms. "It was pointless to move if you don't want eavesdroppers. There are surveillance equipment everywhere but your rooms."

_Idiot._ The hacker resisted slamming her hand to her head as she pouted and her face flushed red. "Yeah, but at least this way they need to make more of an effort to do it."

The Japanese teen couldn't help but smile softly, though he immediately stopped himself and frowned. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Don't play dumb. You know, you were a pretty good actor at To-Oh too," she commented with a huff. "Look, I thought we already went over this when I got here two weeks ago. We both lied to each other, but it was for the sake of the case."

The brunet furrowed his eyebrows. "That's true, but I didn't start to put the pieces together until after we had known each other for a while, so I actually believed that our friendship was genuine. Even when I first suspected you, I still held onto the idea that I might be wrong about my theory until you proved me right. I know that you were working for the sake of catching Kira, but knowing that it was all a lie hurts. Everything I thought I knew about you – all those little tidbits you shared – how much of those were lies to keep me talking? Right now, you're a stranger to me."

Amelia's eyes widened before her expression softened and the corners of her lips dipped into a frown. Now she understood, and she felt foolish for not realizing it sooner. Her mind turned back to how her time as Robin Hood had affected her friendships with Kato and Melinda, and she sighed.

"It seems that I'm very good at ruining friendships," she mumbled before looking up at him. "I get it now, and I'm sorry for not taking it as seriously as I probably should have."

Light's expression mirrored hers as he slowly unfolded his arms and waited for her to continue.

"And yeah, Ryuzaki forced me into the situation to begin with, but it was my own choice – against the wishes of everyone else – to be your friend," she assured him. "Everything I told you was true." Bambi pointed a finger at a corner of the ceiling as she argued, "And they were all stupid little things that couldn't possibly be used to track me down, therefore I'm not breaching my contract in any way, so don't you dare try to hold that against me, Ryuzaki."

The former Kira suspect smiled as a short chuckle escaped his lips.

Amy looked back to him as she continued, "Anyway, my point is that the friendship was real, even if it was based off a few lies. I could have easily ignored you and kept an eye on you from afar like I was supposed to, but I really came to value your companionship and our discussions."

Light smiled before commenting, "I don't think I was really giving you a choice. I was a bit persistent at the beginning despite reading you as not wanting my company."

She laughed. "Yeah, you really were. To be totally honest, it made me really suspicious of you. Why were you so stubborn about it?"

"Stubbornness is definitely a trait of mine, though it isn't as strong as Ryuzaki's," he admitted.

The pair of geniuses shared a bout of laughter before Light continued. "It wasn't entirely clear in my mind at the time, but hindsight tells me that I was drawn to wanting to help and protect you after I discovered that article about you and Beyond."

Bambi smiled. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad it happened. You're a good friend. I know it probably won't be easy, but I would like to rebuild that friendship."

He returned the smile. "That is a goal I would also like to achieve."

*** * * August 12 * * ***

Mello's contact prepared their paperwork and backstories in record time. After having enough time to go over the information, L called Bambi and Mello to meet with him and discuss the plan in more detail. The three of them were sitting around a coffee table as the great detective handed them their respective alias files.

"Mello will be monitored by Matt as in your previous cases together, and Bambi will be monitored by Near for the same reasons," he explained as he turned to the young man. "You will be going by your same alias, Takeshi Moto. You had working class parents who passed away in a house fire recently, leaving you to fend for yourself. That's why you need this job."

The blond nodded as L turned to face the brunette. "Your alias for this mission is Lola Montez. To cover your working accent this time, you are a native of Mexico. Your mother passed away while giving birth to you, leaving your father to raise you. He met a Japanese woman while on a business trip when you were six years old. They eventually got married and decided to move to Japan. You were unable to get into university, so you decided to go straight into the work force. That's why you are applying for a secretary position at Yotsuba."

She frowned. "Why didn't I make it into university?"

"You don't look old enough to have graduated," L told her. "I needed an explanation for why you were so young and entering the work force. In addition to that, the excuse that you are uneducated makes you appear as less of a threat to the highly educated Yotsuba executives. You know how arrogant they tend to be."

Bambi slowly nodded and pursed her lips before adding, "Okay, but what about Mello's alias? Are you sure it's a good idea to have him go by that old one?"

"The only previous records under that alias are related to my burns and skin grafts," the blond explained. "The whole house fire part of my story covers that. My contact took care of creating the rest of the trail to make it seem as if I lived here my whole life."

"Okay." The brunette turned to her boss. "So, which one of us should apply first?"

"Physical evidence will take more effort and time to gather, so Mello will be applying tonight," he decided. "You will wait a few days."

With that set, the geniuses dispersed.

*** * * August 17 * * ***

It was mid-afternoon on that hot summer day. Light was sitting next to L around the rest of the Japanese detectives on the investigation floor of the task force headquarters. Mello was currently at his interview at Yotsuba, being guided by Matt in the corner of the room via headset.

Another death linked to Yotsuba had just come in, but the brunet found himself lost in thought. _It's really a different person. The Kira before was isolated and the Kira now… If you cling to the fact that he is killing off convicts, it's the same, but the difference is clear. The Kira right now just kills off anyone who is broadcasted as being a killer. The previous Kira did not judge anyone who didn't have any intent to kill, anyone who accidentally killed people, or people who had special circumstances._

He scrolled through the recent list of Kira murders as he rested his head in his hand. _For example, someone who accidentally hit another person with their car and killed them… The Kira before would not kill this person if he had not done something atrocious in the past. Not only that, if there was a reason to kill the person, if Kira himself determined that the person judged was at fault, he killed them. He did not kill arbitrarily._

Light furrowed his eyebrows as he dropped a finger to his lips. _If I were Kira, I would use this sort of judgement. Compared to that, I can't sense any human feelings from the current Kira._ He paused for a moment and narrowed his eyes. _No, the Kira from before and the Kira now aren't different from mass murderers. For murderers, there is no good or evil, both of them are evil. I know that. However, the pattern of the previous Kira's killings are frighteningly close to my own way of thinking._

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. _What am I thinking? I am not Kira. However, Ryuzaki should be aware of the differences between the current Kira and the previous one. Why hasn't he said anything about it? Does he assume that I was the previous Kira and there is no need to say anything now?_

The brunet pursed his lips as he tried to turn his mind from the subject, instead thinking to Bambi. Misa – and consequently, Matsuda – had taken her out to go shopping for outfits to wear for her interview and hopefully while working there.

The corners of his lips curved into a soft smile. _I can imagine it now._

Bambi was probably having fun and joking around with Matsuda and Misa. Light reasoned that Bambi had likely not had any contact with other women outside of To-Oh for quite some time, and that was part of the reason for her friendship with the model.

A sigh escaped his lips as he looked to the side. The young man was well aware that despite everything that had happened between himself and Bambi, he still harbored feelings for her. Still, Light found his own knowledge of the brunette – his own behavior – disturbing.

The teen genius frowned again. _Given everything I knew from the past, what Kai and Riku presented, and the fact that Bambi seems to be working for L under an apparent contract, she has to be the Robin Hood Hacker. There is no denying that – especially after what she was assigned to do for the Yotsuba mission. Still, I was sure of this before I knew she was L's agent… That and that other thing._

He held his arms as he looked down. _That picture was clearly Bambi being carried by Mello. She was Beyond Birthday's final victim – she even admitted it… but, how did I really come across that article? It's in English from an obscure American newspaper. Why was I looking into that?_

Light closed his eyes. _Maybe I really was trying to practice my English while keeping up with world events… Though, that was hardly an international event until he tried to commit murder in Japan, and that was after I already read the article._

He pursed his lips as he withheld a sigh. _Aside from that, I clearly remember seeing a comment saying that Beyond Birthday's only living victim was named Amy, but it was on a Kira supporter website. Even if I see Kira's point in doing what he does, his methods are immoral, and I would not actively seek out one of his websites._

The former Kira suspect paused and furrowed his eyebrows. _Maybe I was just trying to figure out where I stand on the case, but my stance is clear now._

Still, a part of Light could not deny his sympathy for Kira. The young man heaved a sigh before trying to cast away his thoughts in favor of focusing on the case.

*** * * August 29 * * ***

Mello had started working at Yotsuba last week, and Bambi was called earlier that morning to be informed that she got the job. Given that it was the middle of the day and the blond was working nights, he and Matt were sleeping. The young woman was currently sitting with Near as they discussed how to go about their mission.

The young man handed his partner a clear earpiece as he explained, "This is the same kind of transceiver that you used in your hometown with Matt. There is a GPS tracker in it just in case something goes wrong and I lose contact with you. Just as a reminder, it only transmits sound to me when you press the button on the side, but you will be able to hear me through the receiver at all times."

He then handed her a necklace with what appeared to be a black jewel on display. "This is the same one you used on our last mission. Not much has been changed. It still records sound and video through the gem, but there is a new switch on the side so you can turn it off. This will make coordination much easier when you use the restroom as opposed to sending me away for a few minutes."

Bambi breathed a sigh of relief. Using the restroom was really awkward last time, even when she hid the camera under her shirt. Not to mention the other issues that came about from that. Since Near went away from the screens for a set period of time and she forgot to check the clock the first day, the young woman left alone with the suspects and nearly compromised the entire mission – a rookie mistake, but one that she was glad to do without.

Near twirled his hair as he reminded her, "When verbal responses are not possible, use the same gestures as last time – two taps means yes, playing with the necklace means no. If you need to convey something more complicated, type it when no one is looking and make sure to point the camera in the right direction. I will help you provide appropriate responses when needed and keep you up to date with important events here."

A few moments passed in a comfortable silence before he asked, "Do you remember when we first met?"

The hacker winced, the scene crystal clear in her memory banks. "Yeah, you couldn't stand the idea of working with me since I was a criminal, and you said some hurtful things to express just how much you hated me."

He nodded. "I never expected it in that moment, but you have proved my assumptions wrong. You are a hard worker and you are good at what you do. I find myself looking forward to missions like this given how well we work together." A soft smile graced his lips. "I am happy that I got the chance to know you and work with you."

She grinned. "Thanks. You're pretty cool too."

*** * * September 4 * * ***

It was the morning of Bambi's first day working at Yotsuba, and she was standing in the front lobby as she waited for her new coworker to come and escort her to the correct office. Mello started working there a while ago, but he had only managed to bug a few offices and meeting rooms near the bottom of the building, planning to slowly work his way up.

The agent was dressed in a formal women's suit, complete with fancy shoes and a nice jacket. Another few minutes passed before a woman approached the brunette. She was grinning as she made a beeline for the teen. The woman's appearance made Amy think that she was in her mid-twenties. She had dark brown hair pulled up into a bun, though she let the shorter ends frame her face. The hacker noted that their outfits were remarkably similar – not surprising given the strict dress code they both had to adhere to.

The newcomer stopped before Bambi with a smile. "You're the new secretary, right? I'm Sora Fukuda, your new coworker, but you can just call me Sora. I'm looking forward to working with you."

Amelia returned the smile and bowed her head. "It's nice to meet you, Sora. My name is Lola Montez, but you can call me Lola if you wish."

Sora escorted the teen into the elevator and selected one of the floors in the middle of the building.

As they started moving upward, she commented, "It isn't often that I get a new coworker to train, let alone someone who's actually younger than me. I started working here when I was about your age."

The doors opened and Bambi followed behind her coworker as she showed the teen to the office she would be working in. Inside the room were two desks facing each other on either side of the room, leaving a walkway between them and to the door of the executive they were both working for. Sora walked the hacker over to the desk that was labelled with her alias and turned on her work computer.

The older woman quickly wheeled her chair next to Amy before explaining, "Our main job is filing and organization of the company documents and finances in this division. By the way, all executives have two secretaries, a senior one and a newer one. The senior secretary focuses more on taking calls and organizing their executive's schedules and meetings and all that fun stuff. Once you've worked here for a few months, I'll start teaching you the more advanced things and we can split that work. It's especially helpful during the holidays since those always get super busy."

After her quick introduction, Sora showed Bambi the ropes, explaining how to use the organizational programs, how to access her company email, how to use Microsoft Excel, and everything else she needed to do.

When the teaching session was over, the elder secretary couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, you're a natural at this. I don't think you'll have any problems, but if you have any questions or need any help, don't be afraid to ask."

Bambi thanked her for her help before she wheeled back over to her desk across the room and returned to her own work. With no one breathing down the hacker's neck anymore, she went straight to her mission. Over the past month, Amy and Miles had developed a new crawler spyware to implant in Yotsuba's internal systems and let it steal files for exactly three months. She had to make sure that it would be returning to her office computer on a day and time when she would be working. After a quick check of the calendar, the teen learned that it would be on a Monday if she sent it now. Satisfied with that, Robin Hood discreetly downloaded the crawler from her flashdrive to her computer and uploaded it to the system mainframe.

With that task complete, Amelia turned her focus to doing the jobs that Sora had just explained to her. However annoying it was, the agent had to make sure to actually do her job so that she would still be here when the crawler returned. At some point into her near-mindless work, the door to the office opened, revealing a tall man with a long face and jagged black hair pushed back behind his head.

Sora immediately sat up straight. "Good morning, Mr. Higuchi."

"Good morning, Sora. How are my girls doing?" he asked as he glanced to Bambi.

The older woman forced a smile at the man. "Everything is going smoothly – Lola's a natural."

The corners of his lips extended into a Cheshire-like smile before he turned and approached the teen. Higuchi leaned against the side of her desk, moving his jacket out of the way to expose himself more. She couldn't help but shudder – his grin reminded her too much of Beyond's, and it left her with an uneasy pit in her stomach.

His eyes trailed up and down Bambi's body before he commented, "No one told me that my new secretary would be such a young beauty. How old are you, anyway?"

Near buzzed in through her earpiece. "You're twenty."

She forced a grin and swallowed a gulp before muttering, "I-I'm twenty, sir."

Although Bambi had not thought it possible, his grin grew even wider. "Really? Well, Lola, I would like to get to know you better."

He remained where he leaned, eyes taking in every detail of her appearance, pausing at some very inappropriate places. Disgust welled up inside the teen as she struggled to keep it hidden. Her mind was screaming for her to get as far away as possible from this predatory man.

Near tried to help to the best of his abilities. "Bambi, take a deep breath and stay calm. We can't afford to get anyone fired yet in case they have ties to the Yotsuba Kira. Just ignore him for now and we'll report it when you quit."

She tapped twice in view of the camera to indicate her acknowledgement of his attempts to calm her. Before Higuchi could do anything more, Sora came to Amy's rescue.

"Mr. Higuchi, you have a call waiting from your supervisor."

He mumbled a curse under his breath as he narrowed his eyes before disappearing into his office behind the door. With her boss finally gone, Bambi released her pent up disgust, shuddering as her expression twisted in horror.

Her coworker frowned. "Sorry about that. He's always like that – it's awful."

The teen mirrored her expression and furrowed her eyebrows. "Then why is he still here? I thought that whatever corruption that existed here was wiped out with that scandal a few years ago."

Sora sighed. "It's kind of a long story." She glanced to Higuchi's door before adding, "That call will probably take him a while, so I'll just tell you now – by the way, all executive offices are sound proof. Anyway, when I started working here, he was mainly harassing his old secretary. She reported it after a while and was fired shortly after. Apparently the report never went into the system, though."

Bambi nodded as she mentally noted that it had to have been around the same time when she was targeting Yotsuba as Robin Hood – during the peak years of the company's corruption. Still, it bothered her that she was unable to snuff it out entirely.

"Another secretary got hired and he started targeting both of us," Sora explained. "I kept with the job because I needed the money and the last secretary was still having trouble finding a job, so I didn't want to risk it. He cycled through a few more secretaries, but they never lasted more than a year."

She sighed. "He has been getting bolder in the past few months. The last secretary – your predecessor – tried to report him. It didn't go through, but she started acting really weird after that. She started giving into his advances for a few weeks before dying in a freak accident."

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, her voice shaky as she continued. "I think it was the stress that did her in, but she was so young. I swear that I will not let it get to me. I will not cave into his crap."

Bambi pursed her lips and nodded to herself as she refocused her attention on Higuchi's door. _It sounds like he could be in league with Kira given the sudden strange actions of the last secretary, but what concerns me is that she didn't die of a heart attack. It's the only thing that doesn't fit._

*** * * September 19 * * ***

Bambi had been working at Yotsuba for a few weeks now, and it has taken up most of her time. Thanks to that, she has only really been able to talk to Near, Light, and L consistently. Since the Wammy Teams had opposing work schedules, there was only a few hour window each day between their shifts when all four of them were awake and at headquarters.

Even though the brunette hasn't had much of a social life with anyone on the task force lately, she has still been able to learn a lot about the people she works with. Higuchi was as disgusting with his advances as he was on her first day, though the teen quickly learned that he was incredibly skilled when it comes to making decisions to better the company. It was no wonder that he was so highly ranked.

She also learned a great deal about her coworker, Sora. As it turns out, she was a dreamer and quite the romantic. She warmed up to Bambi very quickly, eventually admitting that she has tried to get higher up in the company for the sake of the pay, but it seemed as if her applications never went through. Given that she puts up with Higuchi's advances without reporting it, the agent reasoned that it was his doing.

Ultimately, Bambi decided that she probably wasn't Kira.

The other thing she learned about Sora is that the older woman was probably one of the biggest gossips she had ever met – perfect for getting information that could help the investigation. Bambi had even made it a habit to start going out to lunch every day with her just for that sake.

Once again, they were both out to eat at what had become their usual café only a short walk from the Yotsuba building. After ordering their meals, the women continued their conversation – which mostly comprised of Amelia listening to Sora's gossip.

"…and the nerve of Mitsuki to say that just because I don't want kids," she ranted. "What a bitch."

Bambi briefly acknowledged her coworker's woes before taking a sip of her drink.

The older woman pursed her lips before asking, "Hey, Lola, what are your ambitions? Like, do you actually want to stay with Yotsuba?"

The hacker shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I figured I would work in this position for a while before deciding."

Sora nodded her head pensively as the food came out. The two secretaries started eating as the elder one recounted the most recent gossip that she had been hearing. For the most part, they were your standard rumors: an affair amongst coworkers on the tenth floor, a woman bribing an executive with sex for higher pay, a budding relationship between a secretary and a janitor, and an executive who's bowel problems led to a quarantined men's restroom – all worded with significantly more vulgarity as she described the situations to the teen.

As Sora finished up her meal, she added, "And I heard that there's this super-secret meeting that happens every Friday in one of the upper conference rooms during some really freaking weird hours. I kept asking around, but nobody knows anything else or who even goes to the meetings. It's like there's some crazy conspiracy shit going on."

It seemed as though there were two rumors worth investigating – the bribery and the secret meetings. Bambi grinned as she silently thanked whatever luck brought her into working with someone who loves gossiping so much. After finishing their lunches, the two of them headed back to work. Amelia found herself analyzing the rumors as she walked.

 

As soon as Bambi made it back to headquarters, she went straight to the investigation room to debrief L on any new observations she made during her shift. The great detective was off to the side with Near and Light when the young woman entered the room, smiling as he beckoned her to come closer.

"Near informed us that you have new possible leads," he commented.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah, there's a woman bribing her bosses for better pay, and mysterious weekly meetings that no one knows anything about. I think it would be worth looking into both."

L pursed his lips as he thought for a few moments. "It would be best to send Mello to investigate the meetings. I'll tell him to focus on bugging the conference rooms in the upper floors. You should still keep an eye out for more evidence related to either case, but you will probably be most successful in finding out who that woman is. Now, onto Miss Fukuda…"

"She probably isn't Kira," Bambi told him. "Her personality is nothing like our profile of him. Besides, if she were Kira she would just kill Higuchi to get away for his sexual harassment and to move up in the company."

"She could just be acting," Light pointed out. "We know that Kira can control people before killing them. She could be controlling him to get sympathy from others and to keep suspicions off herself."

The hacker frowned. "Her records say that she's worked there for the past few years, and according to what she told me, Higuchi has been like this the whole time. I seriously doubt that she's Kira. From what it sounds like, she doesn't give a damn about the company and is only there so she can save up money for something big."

The brunet accepted her reasons with a nod, and Bambi turned to L.

"You should still be cautious around her, but she is not as high on the suspect list anymore," the great detective decided.

With nothing else to discuss, the young woman headed upstairs to her room so she could change and take a shower. Not long after she was done, the teen heard a knock at her door. Amelia walked over and opened it, revealing Matt standing there. A grin rose to her lips as she let him in.

"We never really get to talk anymore," he explained. "Since Mello's shift won't start for another few hours, I just wanted to hang out for a bit – if that's okay with you."

A light blush dusted her cheeks.

The brunette forced a cough as she tried to cool her cheeks. "O-Of course. I would really like that."

"So, how has working at Yotsuba been?"

"Well, the work itself is boring," Amy admitted with a snort. "My boss, Higuchi, is super creepy, but the other secretary I work with, Sora, is hilarious when no one else is around. I bet that you'd like her too."

A lopsided grin took shape on his lips as he raised an eyebrow. "Is she the one who downed a bottle of hot sauce because you dared her to do it?"

"Yeah, that's her."

"Okay, I probably would find her entertaining," he admitted with a bout of laughter. "Anyway, would you want to play some games before I have to start working? I've got Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Call of Duty – or we could download something too."

The corners of her lips extended into a grin. "Sure! Sounds fun."

With the agreement made, Miles dragged her off to his room where all his games were stationed. The computer geeks took up beanbag chairs and sat next to each other in front of his large flat screen TV. A few hours were spent as they tag teamed against computers in various fighting and racing games, and Bambi had the time of her life. Truthfully, she didn't care what games they were playing – she grateful not only for the distraction from the case, but also for the excuse to spend time with him. Even after not seeing him for several long weeks, butterflies still filled her stomach each time she spoke with him.


	30. Suspects

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will probably come some time in November or December. Just as a heads up, there are less than ten chapters remaining. I hope that you have been enjoying the ride. Thank you for sticking with me and this story.

*** * * September 22 * * ***

It was near the end of Bambi's shift and she was eagerly awaiting the time she could return to headquarters. Thanks to some digging, the teen was able to narrow the bribery suspects down to three women. After a glance to make sure that her coworker was preoccupied and that Higuchi was still in his office, Robin Hood quickly rushed off to hack into the suspects' computers one by one. Not willing to stay there too long and risk getting caught, she downloaded all their files and emails to access from her computer back in her room.

Just as she finished, Near chimed in through her earpiece. "Soichiro just discovered that Kira's murders all take place between Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. This leads us to be more suspicious of the meetings, but you should continue to investigate the briberies."

Amelia frowned, irritated that it took the task force this long to notice something so simple yet important. She tapped twice in front of the camera to acknowledge her partner's words.

When the agent's shift was finally over and she was back at headquarters, she retreated to her room and changed out of her work uniform. Once the computer genius was in more comfortable attire, she made her way to her computer and opened the files that she downloaded from the bribery suspects earlier. The first set of files she opened belonged to a woman named Akira Watanabe, a financial analyst on the ninth floor. Her company profile showed Bambi that she was a slightly overweight woman with short hair and a warm smile.

According to the photographs she had saved as her background and screen saver, Akira was a mother of three children. Her emails indicated that she was having an extramarital affair with one of the executives on her floor, a man named Takeshi Ooi. Further investigation revealed that he was the vice president of the Yotsuba VT Enterprises. Amy looked through Akira's bank accounts that were linked to her computer, but none of them indicated any bribery between them. This led the hacker to doubt that the analyst was the Yotsuba Kira. Sure, she wasn't a good person, but Robin Hood was confident that she would have been able to catch her if she was involved in bribery.

Bambi closed out the files and opened the next set. These new ones belonged to a secretary on the tenth floor named Rin Tamura. Her company profile revealed that she was a beautiful woman in her early thirties – everything about her appearance from her makeup to her outfit just screamed seductress. As the teen went through her files, she found an encrypted folder that Rin was clearly trying to keep hidden. Naturally, it took the hacker only a few seconds to break into it. Inside she found thousands of photos and videos, many depicting a man who she had seen roaming the halls from time to time. He was clearly an executive, though the agent couldn't recall his name. Not to mention that many of the videos and pictures were pornographic, depicting Rin and the man together much earlier in the year.

After exiting the folder, the brunette checked this suspect's emails. While her Yotsuba email gave the hacker nothing of importance, there was a private email account that Rin had gone to great lengths to hide. It was clear that she was using this account to blackmail the man in the photos, who was apparently the executive she worked for – a man named Suguru Shimura. It seemed that Rin had never accessed her bank accounts from her work computer, so Bambi had no way of knowing if Suguru was giving her money to keep her quiet.

Although blackmail and bribery are two different things, she was far more suspicious of Rin than she was of Akira. Rin seemed to fit the more ambitious profile better, and she was clearly looking out for herself by blackmailing her executive.

With that decided, Amelia moved on to the final set of files. These belonged to a newly appointed executive named Yuko Noguchi. Before she could read further, her brows furrowed. Yuko was wearing thinly framed glasses and wasn't smiling in her ID picture, but that wasn't what puzzled the brunette. Rather, it was disconcerting just how much this woman resembled her. Yuko's hair was tied back and looked just like Bambi's, though a light blonde. Her eyes may have been largely obscured by her eyewear, but they still mirrored the teen's to a frightening degree. Even the shapes of their faces were nearly identical.

Amy swallowed her unease before proceeding with her task, though the question had already been planted in the back of her mind. Yuko's company profile revealed that she was eight years older than the hacker. At first glance she appeared to be a fiercely determined woman – though this could also be easily grasped from the fact that she was the only female executive in all of Yotsuba. The lack of any personal photos, backgrounds, or emails also told the teen that Yuko clearly put all her focus on her work – after all, she had more to prove in the male-dominated Yotsuba Corporation. She was incredibly clean, almost to a suspicious degree. No unusual salary. No blackmail. Nothing. Only the idea that a woman being so high up in Yotsuba would be easiest accomplished through bribery.

After closing out her files, the brunette sat there and pondered her decision. She needed to choose which woman to send Mello to focus on. He would need to get a sample of her DNA to see if it matched the forensic evidence he found in one of the employee lounges. While they would still need to further investigate all three women, it would be important to have forensic work done on the most suspicious of the group. Although Yuko was suspicously clean, the person with the closest profile was Rin. Ultimately, to avoid accusations of looking into the executive for personal reasons, Amelia decided to have Mello focus on Rin first with Akira being the least important suspect.

With that decided, the young woman sent a text to the blond with his instructions and moved to shut down her computer. Just before she could give the command, a notification popped onto her screen. It seemed that someone had gone through the lengthy and difficult process of contacting Eraldo Coil to request an investigation into L – of course, there was a large sum of money being offered by this anonymous client.

Bambi made a mental note to inform L and Near of the request before her fingers flew across the keyboard, tracing it back to the source. Whoever contacted her was clearly cautious, having devised an elaborate trail with several leads that were barely still detectable. Although it took her longer than she had hoped to complete the trace, she eventually found that she was contacted by a Japanese man named Masahiko Kida – a Yotsuba Executive.

Kira was clearly in Yotsuba, and this inquiry about L – who was known to be investigating Kira – was even more damning evidence.

Amy pursed her lips as she stared at the information on the screen. What she wondered was whether this Kida person was really Kira or just being used by Kira. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, she decided to discuss this with everyone first. After powering down her computer, the teen rushed down to the investigation floor to inform the others of her findings. The elevator doors opened, revealing her coworkers. Some of the Japanese detectives were doing paperwork in the corner while others were watching the surveillance feeds of Misa's room. Matt and Mello were getting all set up for their shift while planning out tonight's mission. Near was discussing Bambi's day with L and Light near the wall of screens that was monitoring Mello's planted cameras. The young woman approached the geniuses with her news.

L smiled at her as he asked, "So, have you narrowed down our list of suspects yet?"

She frowned. "Not exactly. Things just got more complicated."

"I narrowed down my original list, but I just received a request for Coil to look into you," she told him. "It was from a Yotsuba Executive."

He pursed his lips. "We should investigate this person with top priority."

L continued, "In the meantime, someone should call him back as Coil to throw him off our trail. You and Near are too busy during the day to do this, so your roles as Coil will temporarily move elsewhere."

Light glanced between Bambi and her partner with furrowed brows, but kept his silence.

The raven-haired detective turned toward his other successors. "Were you listening just now?"

Matt nodded while Mello verbally confirmed it.

"Good. Matt, you will act as Coil over the next few weeks," the great detective decided. "Drive up the price to see just how desperate he is, and be prepared to feed him false information should he choose to hire you."

"Sure. I can do that." The redhead grinned slyly. "I actually have a few ideas in mind – I'll make sure to have fun with it."

L nodded. "Just make sure that he can't trace-"

"Uh, guys?" Light interrupted, his face turned away from the group and toward the Yotsuba surveillance screens.

Amelia followed his gaze to find that a small group of men was entering one of the conference rooms.

"Conference room six," L mumbled. "Bambi, are any meetings scheduled for that room right now?"

"There shouldn't be any meetings past four o'clock."

He grinned. "Then we have found our secret meeting."

Everyone approached the screens to listen to the contents of the meeting, hoping for some hint that it was related to Kira. The brunette watched as all eight men settled around the table. As she looked around at the faces her eyes went wide and her stomach twisted into a knot.

"Higuchi," Near pointed out.

L pursed his lips. "Didn't you say that his last secretary died suspiciously?"

"Yes, but not of a heart attack."

He grinned. "Then perhaps we should look more into the possibility that Kira can kill in other ways."

Bambi frowned. "He's not the only suspicious person there. The man sitting across from him is Masahiko Kida, the man who requested Coil to look into you. Next to Higuchi is Takeshi Ooi, who is the man that one of my suspects is having an affair with. A few seats away from him is Suguru Shimura, the executive who is being blackmailed by one of my other suspects."

"Then all of them are suspicious," Mello suggested.

Near twirled his hair and stared at the screens as he argued, "Not necessarily. They haven't begun the meeting yet, so we don't know if this is truly related to Kira or not."

There was a silence amongst the investigators for a few moments before the bald one – Takeshi Ooi – spoke. "We shall commence our regular meeting. Let us discuss for the brighter future of Yotsuba, whom to kill."

There was an array of gasps throughout the members of the task force, most notably from the Yagami's.

"But first we must discuss a matter of importance," Ooi added before turning to one of the men present. "Kida, did you send Kira's request to Coil yet?"

The bespectacled man nodded his head. "Yes. I sent out the request last week, but he hasn't contacted me back yet."

Inside headquarters, Matsuda furrowed his eyebrows and turned to L. "Then why did Bambi only get the message today?"

"It takes about a week and multiple contact points to get the message to her," L explained. "This protects the identity of Coil."

Turning her attention back to the screens, a man Bambi didn't recognize spoke – a stocky man with blond hair and a beard. "So, I guess we just wait until he gets back to us."

There appeared to be a general sense of agreement from the group except for the executive who is being blackmailed by his secretary, Suguru Shimura.

He hesitated before suggesting, "Shouldn't we also consider the possibility that Coil could be a member of some kind of police force or even an agent of L's?"

Higuchi rolled his eyes. "We cunningly contrived to ensure that those deaths brought us profit indirectly and discreetly. No one should suspect us, and even L shouldn't know that Kira can kill with more than heart attacks. How can he possibly connect us to Kira?"

"But if he does find out, it's still a possibility that he could sell us out," the nervous man argued.

Ooi commented, "Shimura, you always think things in such negative ways."

"No, I'm just pointing out the possibilities."

"All the possibilities you come up with are negative ones," Ooi added. "You can stop worrying. It's time that we returned to the main topic anyway."

Part way into the blunt discussion of who to kill next, one of the men Bambi didn't recognize became increasingly agitated, fidgeting in his seat until he couldn't take it anymore. "I… don't know which one of you is Kira, but I want to leave this team. I don't want to get involved too much and wind up getting caught as a criminal."

Higuchi chuckled before commenting, "You are so dead Hatori, probably by tomorrow…"

Amelia couldn't help but tense at the bold statement, all blood draining from her face at the ever increasing prospect that she was working directly under Kira. Her heart started to pound and beat more rapidly as the insides of her stomach began to churn.

Near caught the expression on his partner's face a quietly assured her, "You'll be fine. Take a deep breath and calm down."

Following his suggestion, she took a shaky inhale. Amy nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her back. She whipped her head around to find that it was Miles. She relaxed as the redhead smiled apologetically at her.

"It'll be okay," he whispered. "Just be careful. If it looks too dangerous, quit. Your life is more important than gathering evidence."

The brunette smiled softly and nodded before refocusing on the screens again.

As Hatori attempted to save face and his life, the others began to discuss the possibilities of him actually being Kira. It was made clear to the task force that the members of the group had no idea who Kira actually was. After the argument, the meeting proceeded as expected. The group decided on a few people to kill and benefit the company. They briefly mentioned that Kira left parameters regarding how to request a murder, implying that he has the original Kira's powers of needing both a face and a name to kill. Once the meeting was over, the men dispersed.

There was a short silence amongst the investigators before Mello spoke up. "Given the way Higuchi seemed so confident in telling Hatori that he will die soon, he seems to be the most suspicious of the group. I don't think that Bambi should keep working for him."

"She has an alias," Near argued. "She will be safe from Kira."

"What about Ooi?" Matsuda suggested. "He was leading the meeting, so it makes the most sense."

"Don't forget that some of those men have connections to Bambi's suspects," Light added. "It's too early to narrow it down to one person just yet."

L nodded. "I agree, but those listed appear more suspicious than the others." He turned to Bambi. "Remember to press your emergency button if you are in danger."

With that said, the investigators dispersed, leaving Amelia there with her thoughts. _Mello is right. Higuchi acted among the cockiest of the group, making him the most suspicious in my eyes. I'll have to keep a more careful eye on him from here on out._

*** * * September 28 * * ***

Bambi sitting at her desk in Higuchi's office doing her work as usual. It had been about a week since the task force eavesdropped on the Yotsuba Kira's meeting, but they were still only in the preparatory phases of their investigations. Mello gathered the samples the young woman requested him to focus on, but there was a long wait at the lab to be tested. In the meantime, the hacker was planning a way to further investigate the women on her own.

The others were preoccupied with investigating those who attended the Kira meeting, needing more manpower for the group that was more likely to contain Kira. Amelia learned in her weekly newsletter that the CEOs son, Arayoshi Hatori, was found dead earlier in the week, pointing the identity of Kira even more toward Higuchi and the Kira group he was in. Near had also informed her earlier that morning that Matt was calling finally Kida as Coil.

As the teen waited for news from her partner, Sora called out to her. "So, what are you going to wear to the Gala next month?"

Bambi raised an eyebrow. "Gala?"

"Yeah, the gala. Don't tell me you didn't read the notice on the board? We have it every October after the third quarter ends," she explained. "It's on the 20th this year. It's a company-wide thing that's mandatory to attend – even the maintenance staff has to come."

Before she could go further, she got another call. Sora apologized before taking it and patching it in to Higuchi. The older secretary kept trying to tell the agent about the dress she bought for this year's event, but she was soon inundated with calls and unable to continue her conversation. Not much later, Higuchi emerged from his office in a hurry.

Near chimed in through Bambi's earpiece, "They are having an emergency meeting. I'll have Matt patch you into the audio feed."

She tapped twice in view of the camera to acknowledge his statements.

It wasn't long before the men began their discussions.

"Now, let's commence our emergency meeting. Have a look at the documents on your desk for details…" one of the men, presumably Ooi, began.

"I think Kida was wise in taking cautious actions on the phone," another suggested.

A third man argued, "I don't think not saying a word was a wise thing to do. We requested the investigation, and not replying to it might raise suspicion."

Bambi heard Higuchi laugh dryly. "You bunch of fools. Raise suspicion? Try to understand that it's not that kind of level anymore."

Another man chimed in, one whose voice seemed familiar. "Higuchi is right. Coil has a pretty good idea of what we are doing. Otherwise, why would he mention the hush money?"

"How far is pretty good?" asked the man Higuchi made fun of.

"Think about it. It's logical for Coil to want to find out who his client is," the smarter one argued back. "And if he wants to know, then he will find out. If he can't do that, then he is no good as a private detective. This is only logical – it's not rocket science."

One of the more blunt, but logical executives added, "So he found out that his client works for Yotsuba, but he didn't stop there. He found out about the growth of Yotsuba during the recent months… and then eventually the secret behind it."

"So what Namikawa means," Ooi began, "is that Coil already figured out that Kida has a connection with Kira."

Shimura, the cautious one, commented, "T-That's not good. Maybe we should consider the possibility of Coil really being an agent."

"Drop it, Shimura." Ooi commanded. "We already discussed this last week, and we won't let your pessimism hinder our decision making."

"R-Right."

Amelia pursed her lips. His cautiousness was certainly notable. He seemed to have Kira's interests more at heart than the others, clearly not wanting to be caught. Though, recalling that he was already the ongoing victim of blackmail, he may just be stressed about his situation, especially after Hatori's death proved that none of the members can quit. He was probably just trying to make sure that he didn't get sentenced for something he was forced into.

Another man brought the conversation back to the point. "So, what are we going to do? If Coil knows about us and Kira, then we definitely need to pay three million for the hush money…"

"If we are paying the three million dollars, I'd say we are better off killing Coil once he finds out the identity of L," Higuchi suggested.

Bambi's heart raced as she tightened her lips into a thin line. Another strike toward Higuchi – and a threat on her closest friend's life. No, she had to remind herself that he would be okay.

"How do we kill him?" Ooi asked. "We don't even know his face."

"We'll set him a condition and ask him to show up," Higuchi explained. "One of us can contact him and take a snap or something."

"We won't know that it is Coil."

"But we know his voice from the call, right?"

Ooi paused before pointing out, "There's a possibility that the voice on the call was his agent."

"Would a detective let his agent mention a word like 'hush money'?" Higuchi argued. "I don't think so."

The smarter man from earlier finally chimed in again to insinuate that he believed Higuchi to be Kira, especially given that he is so set on killing Coil. Namikawa then added that Coil also knows that Kira wants intelligence so that he can raise his social status, especially after the blow that the Robin Hood Hacker dealt to the company a few years prior. After further coming to the conclusion that Coil would be an asset, the group decided to pay him more than double what he asked for.

Soon, the sounds of the conference room were replaced by Near. "L and Light are fighting again."

Bambi internally groaned. _Not again..._

She heard a woman chattering in the background before Near huffed a sigh. "Fine. Misa overheard your conversation and she wants to take you shopping for your dress."

The chattering resumed.

"…and to 'do your hair up and paint your nails,'" he relayed. "Ryuzaki says you have to go." His voice got quieter as he addressed the model. "She said yes. Now go away."

The brunette snorted in amusement. It wasn't every day that someone could irritate Near to such a degree, and while Amy knew that she shouldn't find it funny, she couldn't help it. Besides, she was looking forward to spending more girl time with Misa anyway. Between their jobs and Misa spending so much time with her new boyfriend, they never really got to see each other anymore.

*** * * October 5 * * ***

It had been a busy week since the Yotsuba Kira group had their emergency meeting regarding Coil. They set up a new meeting at an irregular time to go over the information and quickly learned that their hire had basically screwed them out of their money – much to Matt's and Mello's amusement. Not to mention that the third quarter ended, showing that Yotsuba's stock increased even more than than the investigators expected – likely due to the murders that occurred after they used Kato's program.

While the many suspects had led to the task force being busier than ever, the Japanese Chief of Police forced his detectives to either drop the investigation or quit the force. All but Aizawa decided to stick with the task force, with L and Watari paying them just as they payed the Wammy Teams.

Despite the increasing suspicions of the group which holds the Kira meetings, Bambi and Mello still had to thoroughly investigate the three women that the hacker had narrowed down. Given that two of her suspects were in low positions in their offices, it wouldn't be too difficult to orchestrate a reason for Higuchi to send her to their offices. Although she could say the same for her third suspect, given that the woman was an executive, the teen decided that it would be too risky to speak to her in public and question their similar appearances. Still, the hacker planned on cozying up to her main suspect – surely Rin would start trusting her enough to spill the beans after having lunch together enough. Fortunately, Matsuda was willing to lend a hand in getting the agent that opportunity to meet her.

"For the last time, that form doesn't do that!" Sora snapped into the phone. "You need to go online and download the one labelled-"

Her eyebrow twitched as the caller interrupted her with what was likely another stupid question. Higuchi stepped out of his office with a thick folder in his hands and looked at Sora with a frown.

"Then why are you calling the Technology Department? We don't even handle that!" she argued with the caller. "Yes, I'm sure!"

He then turned to Amelia, just as planned. "Lola, I need you to deliver this to Mr. Shimura's office on the tenth floor."

"Yes, sir."

As the genius stood from her seat, she noticed that her boss was highly agitated, his brow furrowed and his posture tense.

When she took the folder from him, he instructed, "Don't stop to speak to anyone in that office, am I clear?"

While Bambi was curious as to his reason, she kept her suspicions to herself and smiled. "Of course."

With that said, he announced, "I'm off to my meeting now. Sora, don't lock me out again."

Sora looked up and nodded before narrowing her eyes and yelling into the phone, "No! _You_ get me _your_ supervisor. I want to know who thought it was a good idea to hire someone who's too stupid to read the words right in front of his face!"

Amelia tried to keep her grin hidden. Before her colleague could notice the expression on her face, the teen stepped out of the office and headed toward the elevator. Once on the tenth floor, she followed the signs to Shimura's office and let herself in. There was only one secretary present – Rin Tamura. True to her profile, she was dressed in a more lax manner than Higuchi's secretaries: no suit jacket, a tight skirt, and more cleavage showing than the brunette cared for. Rin's eyes were on the newcomer as she grinned and rose from her desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked with a cool tone.

_Now I just need to talk to her and get her to like me._ Bambi smiled. "Yeah, I have some paperwork for Mr. Shimura from the Tech Department."

"Just come with me," she directed before opening another door.

It was a large room – similar to Higuchi's – with an occupied desk in the middle and all sorts of cabinets lining the walls. The lights were dim, possibly due to the frequent headaches that the Head of Personnel was prone to. Shimura looked up from his desk on the other end and tensed, eyes flickering to the brunette.

Meanwhile, Rin pointed to a group of cabinets on the far side of the room. "Just put it in the top drawer on the right where the other incoming paperwork goes."

As Amy began to follow the older woman's instructions, Rin coyly called over to her executive, "Mr. Shimura, shouldn't you be at your meeting now?"

The teen threw a glance over her shoulder to see the man tense before glancing to Bambi again and meeting her gaze. Feeling foolish for being caught, she tightened her lips into a thin line and returned to the task at hand.

She heard his chair drag across the floor as he stood. "Of course. You're right, Ms. Tamura. Thank you."

The door closed, leaving the women alone in the office. Amelia's brows furrowed as her temper began to rise – although she wanted to speak to Rin, she wouldn't be able to do that if she couldn't find the right damn cabinet! A few moments passed before the auburn-haired woman was beside her.

"Oops, I meant the cabinet beside you," she corrected before reaching over and helping Bambi.

The agent laughed. "That would explain it." After filing the papers away, she turned to her suspect and grinned. "Thanks. I'm Lola, by the way."

The corners of her lips curved into a cat-like grin as something sparkled in her eyes. "Oh, Higuchi's new secretary? It can be so hard being one these days, especially under men like him."

The brunette raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "You know what he's like?"

"Oh, honey," Rin cooed, her comforting voice like a siren's song. "He has quite the reputation – it a wonder that he's still working here."

"Yeah, I guess it isn't too surprising," Bambi commented with a laugh. "Hey, would you want to go to lunch together sometime soon? It'd be nice to make friends other than Sora – not that she's bad or anything," she frantically tried to amend, "but she's the only person I really know around here."

She laughed – a melodious sound. "I accept your invitation."

There was a short pause as Amy wondered why she was still standing there, and why her heart was racing.

"You look so young," Rin purred as she reached up and stroked the teen's cheek.

Bambi's eyes went wide as her whole body tensed. _When did she get so close?_ Her mind was screaming for her to run, but she couldn't fight against her unmoving feet. There was something so calming about that voice and her touch as Rin complimented her again.

Near called out to his partner through her earpiece, "Bambi, get out of her reach."

Ignoring his repeated warnings, the brunette remained still in her entranced state. Rin traced her finger down the faint scar on her cheek.

"Oh, marring such a perfect face," she commented with a pout. "Tell me, Lola, how did you get this?"

Amelia frowned as she realized just how disarmed this woman had made her, faking a cough as she scrambled for an excuse. "I-I was in a car accident. The glass shattered."

Rin hummed, silencing the teen as she reached back and began to run her hand through brown locks. "Don't lie to me."

"Get out of there!" Mello commanded through the microphone, jolting Bambi out of her trance.

She roughly pulled herself away from the predatory secretary and rushed toward the door. "I-I have to go."

Rin watched on as the teen disappeared from her sight, eyes narrowed as she repeated, "Lola Montez…"

 

That afternoon, Amy and Sora went out to lunch as usual. It took a while for her to calm down, shaken from how easily Rin had disarmed her. After her coworker went on and on about the idiot who called earlier and mysteriously hung up in the middle of the conversation, it was Bambi's turn to get a word in.

Her tone and expression were serious as she leaned forward and asked, "What do you know about Rin Tamura?"

Sora's smile immediately dropped into a frown as she furrowed her brows. "…She got you alone, didn't she?"

"Just answer the question."

Sora tightened her lips into a thin line before sighing. "They call her the shadow CEO. It may not be official, but she has more power than even most executives – and more people under her control than you realize. She's not someone you want to mess with, and – for your own sake, and mine – don't ask about her again."

 

With her hectic day finally over and Bambi back in her room, she thought back to Yuko Noguchi. It quickly spread around the task force that one of the teen's suspects looked surprisingly like he, and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Ignoring the gossip she was the topic of, the hacker thought back to how Mello sent those sample to the lab a while ago – shouldn't the results be back by now? Almost as if on cue, she heard a knock at her door.

The young woman craned her neck and called out, "Come in!"

Immediately after her instructions, the door opened, revealing Mello. Amelia raised an eyebrow. It wasn't often that he visited her in her room.

"What's up?" she asked.

He walked up to the brunette as he explained, "The results just came in. Yuko wasn't the person who had sex in the lounge and neither was Rin."

"I can't say I'm surprised with Yuko. She doesn't seem the type." Bambi winced. "Rin on the other hand..."

"Yeah, I watched," the blond reminded her. "I'm surprised that worked on you, though. I could see it working on me or maybe Matt if he weren't so..." He shook his head. "You know what? Nevermind."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "If he weren't so what?"

"Forget it."

She hesitated before asked, "He isn't gay, is he?"

Mello burst out laughing. "That's the first thing you thought of? No, he's into women." He paused for a moment as he thought. "Right now, the word I would use to describe both of you is 'oblivious'."

The brunette's eyebrow twitched before she folded her arms and stuck her tongue out at the man.

"And childish," he added. "But that's just you."

"Whatever." She put her hands on her hips. "Why did you come to tell me the results personally? Not only is it unlike you, but it isn't exactly practical."

He took on a more serious expression. "Look, we both know that she looks a lot like you. Since her DNA is already sequenced, it wouldn't be hard for them to compare it to yours. I have to head to the lab again later, so I could just bring your sample directly."

Bambi pursed her lips as she considered his offer. Whether she liked it or not, the question had been on her mind ever since she saw Yuko's picture. No one knew who the genius' mother was at the orphanage since she was dropped off anonymously in the middle of the night as a newborn. Growing up without knowing anything about her family weighed a heavy toll on her childhood, and Amelia was well aware of that. If Yuko turned out to be related to her, then she could learn about her family and become a part of it as she had subconsciously yearned for so long. Of course, there was the chance that this woman could reject her, but what were the odds of that?

She looked up at him. "I'll take you up on that offer."

*** * * October 11 * * ***

Nearly a week had passed since Mello sent Bambi's samples to the lab to be tested and the hacker had been home for a while now, unable to sleep – of course, it didn't help that she was still dressed in her usual clothes and pacing around the room. At some point, she heard a knock at the door. Her heart raced at the thought that this might be it, so she ran to the door and opened it, revealing a fully cloaked Watari.

"May I come in?"

The teen nodded and stepped aside.

Once the veteran was inside and the door was closed, he explained, "I just received the results from the lab. While there is not enough of a match for you to share both parents, there was enough information to determine that you share the same mother as Yuko Noguchi." He smiled as he put a grandfatherly hand on her shoulder. "Congratulations."

Amy's heart soared in that moment. While Yuko wasn't her full sister, they were still related, and that was enough to set the teen's mind racing. She would have a family, and someone to teach her about them. It could only get better from here… or so she thought.

*** * * October 14 * * ***

It was finally here – the weekend and the day Amelia would finally get to know her sister. The hacker sent her an email last night from a more personal account to introduce herself, explaining that she saw Yuko while on business at Yotsuba and since they looked so similar to each other, Bambi looked into it. The email went on to explain that they shared the same mother, and that the teen never knew her since she grew up in an orphanage. She ended the email by telling Yuko that she was incredibly excited to learn that she had a sister and that she was looking forward to getting to know her and becoming a family.

Amy took a deep breath before opening her reply, eager to hear about her long lost relative.

> "You are not a part of my family and you never will be. Did it ever occur to you that you grew up in an orphanage with no knowledge of that woman for a reason? My mother left with no warning when I was very young and I never heard from her again. This was difficult on my father and I for many long years, and I do not need another reminder of the pain that woman caused my family.
> 
> Never contact me again."

The teen's heart stopped as she furrowed her eyebrows. Maybe she just read it wrong? Still, after countless rereads, the message remained the same – Amelia's only known blood relative was pushing her away and making sure that it stayed that way. Only then did it fully hit her. Bambi's get wrenched and her lips quivered as tears began to accumulate in her eyes. Never would she have expected something so promising to lead to such heartbreak, and with every ounce of her being she regretted ever agreeing to look into it.

There was a knock at the door and she turned to face it, fighting off her tears as it opened and Matt stepped inside.

"Hey, I just wanted to see how it was-" He froze upon locking eyes with her, glancing to her screen for only a moment before he quietly added, "Oh, no… It didn't go well, did it?"

Amelia pursed her lips as she silently shook her head, sucking in a breath as tears beginning to steam down her cheeks. The redhead carefully made his way to his crush before pulling her into an embrace and looking over to read what the email said. When he was done, he sighed and tightened his arms around her.

Miles started out hesitantly as he softly called out, "Amy, I'm so sorry. You don't deserve any of this…" He sighed. "Maybe she'll turn around one day. Even if she doesn't, you'll still always have me, and Mello, and Ryuzaki, and even Light. We all care about you and want the best for you… I'll do whatever I can to make you feel better. I…" He stopped himself, unable to utter those three words.

Not yet.


	31. La Vie En Rose

*** * * October 17 * * ***

Rain gently pattered against the windows on that dark and hazy night. Matt was among the only members of the task force awake, sitting at his computer as he monitored Mello's mission. He watched the live video feed as his childhood friend planted more surveillance equipment in the suspects' offices.

The redhead sighed. "I'm really worried about her. She hasn't been herself since then – it's like Beyond all over again. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help."

"Relax. She'll be fine," Mello insisted. "She's gonna be upset for a few days, maybe a few weeks, but she'll be fine. She's got you looking after her anyway. Hell, she's probably slept more than you have these past three days since you're being so stubborn about it."

Miles frowned and folded his arms as he looked off to the side. "I just want to make sure that she'll be okay after our teams split up. I want to do everything I can now because I probably won't see her again after this," he confessed as the rain caught his eye. "I've been trying not to think about it, but it's going to happen sooner or later – and given our progress lately, I'd go with sooner."

The blond scoffed. "You're such an idiot sometimes."

Matt's eyes went wide for a moment, taken aback by his friend's words.

Once fully processed, he scowled and snapped, "Is it so wrong to want her to be happy?"

"I never said that," Mello argued. "You're just too stupid to see that she has a huge crush on you."

The gamer furrowed his eyebrows, mind racing as he thought to all his previous interactions with Amy. _Could it really be true?_ He shook his head. _No, that's crazy. Sure, we have fun together, but she's just being herself – she's just being my friend._

His tone was uncertain when he finally spoke. "It doesn't seem that way..."

"You're both so oblivious," the blond groaned. "Think harder. Think about how she looks at you: her face lights up in a way that never happens when she's talking to anyone else. Think about all that time you spent together when you didn't have to – all that extra time you spent away or even just hanging out at the house. Hell, she even had the patience to help you quit. She's head over heels for you, even if she's too afraid to say it."

The rain finally stopped, the cloud cover clearing away with it. Matt's eyes went wide as his heart fluttered, the corners of his lips extending into a wide grin.

After a short silence, Mello chimed in again. "Go to that store I went to over the weekend and get yourself a nice suit or something – Bambi already has some fancy dress she got with Misa. Take her out and tell her before you lose your chance."

The redhead could only nod, speechless from his revelation. Outside, the moon shined brightly above.

*** * * October 20 * * ***

It had been nearly a week since Bambi's sister closed the door between them, the wound only just beginning to heal. Still, she was in better spirits this day than she had been. Sora had tried to pry into what made her so quiet those past few days, but the agent remained silent on the issue. Despite the lack of new information, the teen's coworker eventually dropped the subject, instead treating her to lunch in an attempt to cheer her up. Besides, like Matt said, she had all these great people in her life that were there for her anyway. Even Near had been surprisingly understanding, sharing that he had a similar experience when he searched into his own family. Although the thoughts still plagued her mind while she was alone, she could smile again – even laugh.

The rest of the task force had been diligently keeping an eye on the Kira meetings. Light interrupted it last week acting as L to save someone's life and offered Namikawa immunity from prosecution if he blocks Kira from killing Yotsuba's competitors. With today's meeting past, this method had proven itself successful.

Although Amelia had returned from work in time to witness the meeting, Misa eagerly dragged the brunette straight to her room to prepare her for the gala. Bambi couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the blonde's room – apparently, the model took out everything they bought on that trip together while she was waiting for the hacker to return. Amy changed into her dress and was sitting at her friend's table as the actress stood behind her. Misa pulled the brunette's hair into an elegant bun on the top of her head.

As the blonde worked, she commented, "We should really do this more often, but I want to come next time and you can do my hair."

The model pulled away and walked around to face Bambi, scrutinizing her appearance with pursed lips. Unsatisfied with some aspect of the style, she reached up to fix it.

"So, are you going to meet up with that fun secretary girl you work with?"

Amelia smiled. "Yeah, probably. She's the only person I know who's not a total creep or a suspect." The teen laughed. "She's pretty cool, though."

She nodded before grinning and standing. Without asking, Misa grabbed the her hands and pulled her over to the full body mirror to admire show off her handywork. She stood behind the brunette and peaked over her shoulders to gauge her reaction in the mirror. Amy's dress was the long and flowing princess-style, as recommended by Misa. The only two accessories she had on were her surveillance necklace and a bracelet that the blonde insisted was the perfect match to her shoes. She was also wearing low heels that were classy, but easy enough to walk in. The brunette couldn't help the corners of her lips from curving into a smile as she recalled the shopping trip.

Misa was the first to break the silence with starry eyes. "Wow, you look so pretty, Bambi. You should totally give up this whole secret agent thing and become a model."

The hacker burst out laughing. "Maybe one day. You never know."

The model grinned excitedly as she bounced up and down. "I'll totally hook you up with an agent. Just let me know when you're ready."

Amelia smiled at her friend's reaction, though she had no intention of actually following in her career path. The teen glanced up to the clock on the wall before her eyes went wide.

"I've got to get going!"

Bambi rushed across the hall to her room before grabbing her handbag and keys, Misa following closely behind. After making sure that her earpiece was snug in her ear, the agent made her way downstairs. The elevator doors opened on the main investigation floor, revealing everyone but Mello.

Misa pulled the brunette out and gestured to her as she announced, "I give you, Bambi!"

Everyone turned to the young women and took in the youngest's appearance. While Near and L seemed relatively unconcerned, returning back to their conversation, the other young men were not unaffected.

Matt's cheeks soon matched his hair as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Y-You look amazing."

The corners of her lips curved into a soft smile, her own cheeks warming to a rosy hue. "T-Thanks."

Light frowned before faking a cough to get her attention. "Near will be listening in case you run into one of the suspects. Let him know if you need any help. The rest of us will be going through the data again."

She nodded at the former suspect before turning to Matsuda. "Ready to go?"

The Japanese investigator nodded and pulled his keys out of his pockets. "Yes."

Bambi followed him back into the elevator and down to the garage where he was parked. Once she was safely seated, Matsuda quickly headed out and toward the gala. The hacker couldn't help but reminisce to the last time she was in this car. It was hard to believe that she was on crutches and still not mentally right when this seat was last claimed as her own. So much time had passed and so much had changed since then.

When they finally arrived, Amelia noticed Mello's motorcycle already in the parking lot. Matsuda let the teen out and reminded her that he would be back later to pick her up. She was quick to thank him before he drove off.

The foreigner looked around as she stepped inside the huge venue – the mandatory attendance showing how truly big the company was. People were all around the ballroom, sitting at the tables, dancing in the center, talking in groups, and hanging around the refreshment table as they listened to the live band and awaited a speech from the company's president that would come during dinner. According to Sora, people generally start to leave once the speech and dinner is over, and that was exactly what L wanted her to do.

Someone bumped into the teen, apologizing profusely before making his way to a table. With her attention returned to herself, Bambi stepped away from the doors she was nearly blocking and started to look around to find some place to go. In one corner she could see Mello standing in his suit with a group of men away from the others. He glanced over to her for a brief moment before returning his attention to his social group. They must have been the other maintenance workers.

As Amelia continued to survey the ballroom, she realized that the executives who attend the Yotsuba Kira meetings were all spread out, not interacting with one another. It wasn't long before a familiar face made her way to the brunette.

Sora was wearing a short dress, grinning as she cried out, "Oh my gosh, you look totally amazing, Lola!"

The agent thanked her, but took a mental note of the alcohol she could smell on her breath. With not much else to do, the teen spent some time conversing with her coworker, listening as the Japanese woman gossiped about the employees who happened to be out of earshot. After some time passed, they both became somewhat thirsty and moved to the refreshment table.

The older secretary took a hefty gulp of her drink before letting out a long sigh and smiling fondly. "You know, if there's one thing I'll miss about Yotsuba, it's that they sure know how to throw a party. Just wait until the food gets out – it's always incredible!" A moment passed before the tipsy woman explained, "Once the New Year comes around, I'm gonna quit and finally start traveling the world."

Shortly after that unintended announcement, Amelia noticed Yuko Noguchi walking by with a slight frown on her lips. The teen froze as the blonde made eye contact with her, pausing for a moment before narrowing her eyes and brusquely stepping away. It was clear that she made the connection between their similar appearances and the emails from last week. The younger of the half-siblings tightened her lips into a thin line as she averted her gaze. Still, this exchange didn't go unnoticed by her drunken coworker.

Sora leaned in as she commented a bit too loudly, "Wow, what a stuck up bitch. You didn't even do anything."

Amy took a deep breath. She was okay. She had everyone else. Most importantly in this moment, she needed to keep her cover.

"Well, from what you told me about her, she doesn't seem like the type to want to be here anyway," the teen suggested. "She's probably just in a bad mood."

Her coworker pursed her lips for a few moments. "Yeah... I guess that's possible..."

And as one issue passed, another presented itself.

"Well, well," a familiar voice purred from behind as Amelia felt a hand on her back. "If it isn't my little Lola."

Near chimed in through her earpiece, the memory of what happened last time clear in their minds. "Get away from her. If you can't, we're going to send Mello over."

Rin rested her chin on the teen's shoulder as she began to snake her arms around Bambi's waist. The brunette forced a laugh as she twisted away and tried to play it off as a joke.

The older woman narrowed her eyes slightly before forcing another smile as she sauntered toward the teen again with her arms outstretched. "Now, now, Lola. You still owe me that lunch date, remember? It was so rude of you to rush out before – it's only fair that you make it up to me with a dance."

Sora furrowed her eyebrows together as she glowered at the seductress. "Hey, leave her alone!"

Rin's expression darkened as she narrowed her eyes and sneered at Sora. "That's rather bold of you to suggest given your situation. It must be the alcohol." She smirked as she added, "Perhaps you should be a dear and find somewhere else to spend your time."

Sora's expression fell as she backed away slightly. Still, the older brunette hesitated for a moment as she clenched her fists together. Rin stared her down as if silently commanding her last comment.

It was then that Amelia heard her boss' voice. "I see you're bothering my secretaries again."

The perpetrator whipped around to face him, a fierce glare in her eyes as she growled, "Higuchi."

"Tamura." He glared back. "I thought I made it clear where your territory ends. Perhaps I need to remind you?"

Rin scoffed before walking off, glaring at the man as she went. Higuchi smirked at his success as he watched her go. Bambi couldn't help the lopsided smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. Never in a million years would she have ever expected to be relieved to see Higuchi. It seemed that dealing with the man who was likely the Yotsuba Kira creeped her out significantly less than dealing the Yotsuba's shadow CEO.

With the auburn-haired woman gone, Higuchi grinned and turned to his youngest secretary. "You know, Lola, I still don't know much about you. Of course, you're a good secretary, but I don't know you as personally." Amelia could smell the liquor on his breath as he leaned in and added, "What do you say? Care to dance?"

The agent hesitated as she waited for the input from Near that she had gotten so used to in each interaction with the executive. Strangely enough, she heard nothing. Left to her own devices, the hacker knew that she needed to make sure that she kept this job for another month to retrieve her program, so she couldn't risk being fired. However disgusted she was with the idea, she would have to agree to guarantee job security.

Bambi forced an awkward smile. "Sure..."

Higuchi took the teen's hand in his as he began to lead her to the dance floor. She looked back toward Sora to gauge her reaction and noted that she was clearly distracted, frowning as she gazed off in the distance. A short distance away, Rin was smirking.

 

Back at headquarters, Near frowned slightly as he removed his headset and approached L. The head detective paused his conversation with Light to await his successor's words.

"Bambi's necklace is still broadcasting, but I have lost communication with her earpiece," Near explained. "She is with Higuchi right now and he's questioning her."

Matt turned around with furrowed brows as Light's eyes widened.

The latter frowned as he argued, "She shouldn't be left alone with him. If he's really Kira, then anything she says can be used to find her true identity and her connection to the case."

Near mentally noted the irony of his statement while Matt offhandedly commented, "Now you know how we felt whenever she was alone with you all through To-Oh."

_So he believes that Light isn't Kira and never was Kira,_ the youngest investigator deduced.

The brunet pursed his lips before glancing down and nodding slightly.

L finally chimed in, "We must repair the device, but in the meantime she needs a replacement. Matt, tell Mello to keep an eye on her until then."

The redhead complied with his instructions before turning back to the group.

This time Near faced the techie. "Do you still have the systems that you used with Bambi over the summer?"

He jumped up from his seat. "I should have it in my room."

"Someone will have to bring it to her," L added.

"I'll do it," Matt immediately offered. "I know where it is anyway."

Light frowned.

"You will need to blend in," Near pointed out.

"I have a suit at home," the brunet interjected. "I'll bring it to her."

"But I have one here and I have a car," the redhead argued. "I'll be able to get to her faster."

"What about Mello? You can't just abandon him."

"You don't know him like I do. He'll be fine."

Near chimed in. "I'll monitor him for you."

Light furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to L.

The head detective nodded at his youngest successor. "That will do."

With that decided, the computer genius rushed off.

 

Higuchi's questions had gone on for long enough with no input from Near. It was clear to Amelia now that her earpiece was malfunctioning and she was on her own.

"So, Lola, what was it like where you grew up?" Higuchi asked as she danced with him.

She mentally compared what she assumed was the climate of Mexico against her own hometown. "Hot. Too hot."

"I see. What brought you to Japan?"

Now, this she distinctly remembered being a part of her fake backstory, but what was it again? Still, there was no time to think mid-conversation.

She sheepishly grinned. "Honestly, it was so long ago when I came here that I often forget that I'm not Japanese."

"Oh, that's right," Higuchi commented with a grin. "You mentioned something like that during the interview process. Speaking of which, remind me: why did you choose Yotsuba?"

"I needed to support myself and Yotsuba gave me the best offer."

"Of course. How could I forget?" The corners of his lips curved into a smirk as he added, "You know, we have quite the range of interesting people here. Are you into men or are you one of those people who's open to anything?"

"Uh..." Maybe this was her chance to make him back off. "I'm attracted to women."

The corners of his lips dropped slightly. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed. You should give men a shot too." He fully frowned as he added, "You should take extra care to steer clear of Rin Tamura."

Bambi pursed her lips as she nodded. Clearly this shadow CEO had a reputation for targetting both sexes – though, from her two sources of this assumption, it could just be Sora that she initially set her sights on.

As another song ended, they separated.

Higuchi fixed his tie as he asked, "Are you dating someone right now?"

"Yes."

Maybe he would get the hint now?

He raised his eyebrows as he scrutinized the teen's expression. "Really? I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

With that said, he headed toward the refreshment table. Amelia turned and started to search for Sora, but she was nowhere to be found. As the brunette began to wade her way through the crowds, she felt a hand on hers, stopping her as a familiar object was pressed into her palm. Her eyes went wide for a moment, not expecting him here. She turned around to see Miles standing before her, dressed in a full tuxedo. The corners of her lips tugged into a smile as her cheeks flushed a light pink. Still, she was on a mission. Acting as if to push a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she replaced the old earpiece with the new one.

The brunette looked him up and down before locking eyes with him. "Y-You look very handsome."

A light blush dusted the redhead's cheeks as he thanked her. In the background, a slow waltz was beginning.

The corners of his lips extended into a grin as he offered his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Her heart fluttered in her chest as she nodded, unable to will any words from her lips. She put her hand in his as they stepped closer, moving their touching palms to the side. Matt carefully placed his free hand on her waist as she reached up and gently draped her hand on his shoulder. Taking the first step, he guided her into the dance.

There was a comfortable silence between the pair as Amy followed his lead, stepping in tandem with the redhead and the tempo. Butterflies flooded her stomach as he smiled down at her.

"You're really good at this," she commented. "Have you danced before?"

He nervously laughed. "Yeah. It was a fun class even though it was kinda weird that we had to take it in the first place." A few moments passed before changed the subject. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about..." He glanced down before adding, "It's... more of a personal thing."

The brunette followed his gaze to see that it was on her surveillance necklace. She reached up and flipped the hidden switch on the accessory, cutting off the live feed that it had been sending to Near in headquarters. She looked back up at him with a raised eyebrow.

Miles took a deep breath before confessing, "I've been thinking a lot lately about how we'll probably be done here soon and that we'll have to split up again. I... I just wanted you to know how much I care about you, but not in the same way I do about Mello. You're my friend, but I see you as so much more than that – it just took me a while to realize it." He hesitated before his cheeks flushed pink and he added, "I really like you – in a romantic kind of way."

Amy's heart skipped a beat as the corners of her lips extended into a wide smile, her cheeks a rosy hue. "I feel the same way, and I have for a long time. It just took me until summer to recognize my feelings for what they were. I thought you didn't like me that way and I was too afraid that I might ruin our friendship if I said anything. " She laughed before realizing, "That must have been what Mello was talking about when he said you and I were oblivious."

"Wait, he said that to you too?"

They shared a short bought of laughter before Matt recomposed himself.

He smiled lovingly at the brunette. "So, to make things official: would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

She returned his expression. "I would love to."


	32. Omnipresence

*** * * October 23 * * ***

It was the Monday after the annual gala and Bambi was currently sitting at her desk, working away another dull day. There were no Kira murders reported until Saturday afternoon, giving more proof that Kira was present at the gala. Of course, the fact that attendance was mandatory didn't help the investigators narrow down any suspects. Still, it serves as more definitive proof that the murderer is an employee at the large company.

When she finally had a moment to breathe between calls, Sora teasingly called out, "So who was that cute guy you were dancing with on Friday?"

The corners of Amy's lips curved into a soft smile as her cheeks flushed a light pink. "That was my boyfriend."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, wow. I didn't know you had a boyfriend. Cool." She nodded to herself before getting back to work.

Following in her coworker's footsteps, Bambi continued on her own tasks for a while before deciding to heed nature's call. The teen excused herself before making her way to the nearest restroom. No one was in there – all stalls empty when she closed the main door. After switching off her surveillance necklace, she went about her business.

All was still silent when she finished and began washing her hands in front of the mirror. Just as the hacker was about to turn off the water, she caught a glimpse of something moving behind her shoulder. She looked up with a raised eyebrow to focus on the image in the mirror when a huge and terrifying monster appeared directly behind her and covered her mouth with a hand that was easily as big as her face.

Her eye went wide as a scream ripped through her lungs, muffled by the hand. She writhed in a panicked attempt to break free of this _thing's_ grasp. It restrained her with its other arm, lifted the teen off the floor somewhat.

The monster sounded somewhat irritated as it spoke, the voice clearly belonging to a female. "Amelia, you need to calm down. I come with an offering, not to harm you."

Bambi stopped struggling and furrowed her eyebrows, though her rapid heartbeat and breaths gave away her fears. Was this Kira's true form? She glanced to the door only to find that it was locked and soon realized that cooperation was her only option for survival. When she finally stopped struggling, the monster set her back down on her feet.

With the brunette's unspoken sign of agreement, the monster began again. "I am Rem, the shinigami of the second Kira, but I have been lent to who you are calling the Yotsuba Kira. I have been watching you and I know that you are one of L's agents."

She paused for a moment, her hand still covering the teen's mouth. "The Yotsuba Kira is suspicious of you and is planning to get you alone. I am loyal only to the second Kira, and I come with an offer to help you catch this Kira and get a confession – I understand that is important to you humans."

"I am going to give you the information you need to convince this Kira that you are the second Kira and get your confession," Rem continued. "I would guess that L will be watching through that necklace of yours to see it. I want you to do this alone. If you tell any of your associates about this plan, I will kill you."

She then released the agent, allowing her to turn and face the shinigami.

A nervous laugh escaped Amelia's lips. "W-Well, when you put it that way, it doesn't sound like I have much of a choice. I-I'll do it."

"You should memorize this for your confrontation," Rem told her before beginning her explanation. "The tool that Kira uses to kill is called the death note. It is a book used by shinigami to take human lives from the shinigami realm. There are rules and limitations to the death note, and the most important rule is that the human whose name is written in the death note will die. The note will not take effect unless the user pictures his face, so people with the same name are not affected. If the cause of death is written within forty seconds of the name, it will happen. If not, the subject will just die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, the details should be written within the next six minutes and forty seconds. If the owner of a death note does not write names for thirteen days consecutively, he will die. If the death note is burned or destroyed, everyone who has touched it will die."

Willing up her courage against the will of her trembling body, Bambi asked, "H-How did the death notes get to the human world in the first place?"

"Shinigami can either take it to the human realm themselves or they can drop it through the portal that connects our two realms."

The brunette nodded to herself and hesitated before asking, "Can you elaborate more on the shinigami realm? What's it like? How does this portal thing work, anyway?"

"It is a separate plane from the human realm only connected through the portal. Shinigami can look down on the human world through it – that's where we watch humans and kill them. I do not know the details of how it works." Rem paused for a moment before adding, "The shinigami realm is a dry and desolate place. This is what provoked the shinigami of the first Kira to drop his death note into the human realm. He wanted to entertain himself."

Amelia pursed her lips. "Why was the second Kira able to kill people with just a face?"

"Shinigami's eyes are different from human's eyes," she explained. "We can see a human's name and remaining lifespan floating above their heads. Shinigami can also trade their eyes with a human who owns the death note in exchange for half the human's lifespan."

"So the second Kira made that trade with you," the agent deduced.

The shinigami nodded.

"How am I supposed to convince this Kira that I found him? I've had my suspicions, but no concrete proof."

"Humans who own a death note only have their names displayed above their heads, not their lifespans," she explained. "You can give whatever truth led you to suspect Yotsuba, just give that method when it comes to identifying Kira specifically."

Bambi frowned. "Does he have the eyes?"

"Not yet."

Both were silent for a few moments before the hacker asked, "Why did you seek me out and why do you want me to do this alone? It would be easier to coordinate if I had other help."

There was another short silence before Rem answered, "It is better to keep Kira's secrets as long as possible." She paused before adding, "I already told you that I know you work for L, and this Kira has suspicions too. Seeking you out is the easiest way to end this and keep the second Kira safe."

Amy pursed her lips and nodded to herself, not wanting to provoke the shinigami any further.

Rem glanced to the door as she backed away. "You shouldn't stay any longer. Your coworker may be getting curious." She hovered to the door and unlocked it before reminding the teen, "Do not tell anyone else of this encounter."

With that said, she passed through the wall, leaving Amelia behind as she tried to calm her nerves. The agent turned on her necklace again before returning to her desk, though she was unable to focus the rest of the day. Sora voiced this observation, but the teen denied her claims and avoided her questions. Once the day was over and she was back at headquarters, Bambi briefly explained to L, Light, and Near that there was nothing unusual to report before hiding away in her room.

The normally-soothing waters of the shower did nothing to ease her nerves. Once she was out and back in casual clothes, she found herself pacing back and forth across her room. Even past her constant reviewing of the rules Rem explained, her mind was racing. Knowing L, he'll probably actually believe that she's the second Kira. After all, she knows all this information and hasn't shared it yet.

Maybe Rem would suspend her death threat after Higuchi was caught? The team was bound to find out about death notes after they capture him anyway... Unless Rem had some plan to take the death note before the task force can. She clearly had the ability to be invisible with the way she so suddenly appeared behind Bambi.

The teen tensed at the thought before nervously glancing around the room. Was she being watched again? Was anywhere safe?

The door creaked open, prompting Bambi to jump and whip around to face it with wide eyes. Matt was watching her, a soft frown on his lips as he closed the door behind him and approached her.

"I just wanted to see if you're okay," he admitted. "You seem really stressed."

She hesitated as her brows pinched together before looking up at her boyfriend with a forced smile. "It's nothing a good game can't fix."

The redhead was silent for a few moments as he looked her in the eye. "Amy, I know you well enough to know that wasn't genuine at all." He carefully held her hand. "What's wrong?"

She pursed her lips and looked away, but found solace on the sense of her hand in his. Still, she couldn't fight the shaking that started to overtake her body. Rem knows her name and was holding it over her head as the reason for her to keep silent. She couldn't be sure that the shinigami was even being genuine, but she had no choice in the matter.

Amelia sighed, her voice just barely above a whisper. "I can't tell you."

His tone went serious as he asked, "Is someone threatening you?"

"Miles, I'm sorry, but I can't..." The brunette sighed again before looking back up at him. "I'm going to make it better soon. I don't know when, but soon. Just... keep a close eye on my feed from now on and don't send reinforcements until..." She pursed her lips as she tried to find the right words to say it without outright admitting her earlier conversation. "Until... I get a confession..."

His eyes went wide as it clicked before he pursed his lips and nodded. "Be careful."

She smiled weakly at him. "I will."

The redhead matched her expression before holding her close and suggesting, "Until then, why don't you crash in my room? This way you won't have to spend all night by yourself and getting nervous. I'll be there to talk to you when you need it, and I'll make sure that nothing happens to you while you're asleep."

A genuine smile graced her lips as she buried her face against him. "I would like that."

After a few minutes, Miles ruffled her hair. "Come on. Let's get your stuff."

The hackers pulled away before heading to Amy's bedroom. The brunette pulled some nightwear from her closet as her boyfriend went to her bed to grab a blanket for her. He stopped and smiled softly before picking up the plushie that he had won her over the summer.

"You still have this?"

Amelia approached him with a raised eyebrow as she looked over the object in his hands. "Oh, yeah. It's kept me calm a few times when I really needed it." She blushed as she coyly added, "It's not much of a substitute for you, but it still works."

His cheeks flushed a light pink as he grinned and teased, "I never knew you to be a flirt, Amy."

She stuck her tongue out at him and laughed. "Well, I didn't know that you liked me back before."

Miles shared the laughter with her before handing over the bear and gathering up her blankets like he originally meant to.

The brunette smiled softly to herself as she admitted, "That was the same day I realized how much I like you. It has some extra special memories with it."

He smiled at her as he stood up straight. "I figured it out one of the first nights we stayed there. Maybe it was the break from the case that let us see it?"

"Yeah, maybe it was."

With that said, the pair made their way upstairs to Matt's room. They had dinner and played games together before it was time for Mello's shift. Amelia changed into her pajamas while the redhead set up his computers near the couch. Once she returned, she wrapped herself in her blanket and joined him on the couch as they exchanged childhood memories and watched the blond's video feed.

Several hours had passed and Amy was leaning on Miles, trying her best to stay awake as he recounted another story for her.

"...and Mello practically did a barrel roll out the door while I was still driving," he told her. "We weren't going too fast, though. He only got a few scrapes."

She couldn't will her eyes open anymore, nor could she open her mouth.

Instead she mumbled a soft, "Mhmm?"

"I managed to park in the garage and throw the keys on Roger's desk before he got back." He chuckled before admitting, "I still can't believe we got away with it."

The redhead paused to listen to Amy's input, though nothing met his ears but the soft sounds of her breathing. He looked down to see her eyes peacefully shut and a soft smile on her lips as her chest slowly moved up and down to the rhythm of her sleeping breaths. Miles couldn't help the corners of his lips from curving into a smile as he reached down and stroked her hair. A few moments passed before he frowned slightly and turned his attention to the screens before him.

He pressed the button on his headset and whispered, "Anything?"

There was a short silence before Mello answered, "Not yet."

Matt nodded to himself. "Just keep an eye out. Whoever's threatening Bambi knows who she works for. They might know about you too."

"Roger that."

With that said, the blond continued with his work. Meanwhile, the redhead watched on as he absentmindedly stroked Amy's hair, a determined look in his eye as he gazed off into the distance. He wasn't about to lose the two most important people in his life – not again.


	33. What Lurks

*** * * October 27 * * ***

Only a few days had passed since Bambi's conversation with Rem, but it felt like an eternity just waiting for Kira to make contact. Despite this, she felt slight ease in the knowledge that the others were aware to watch carefully and not interrupt her work. The teen was at the end of her shift as the sun made its final dip below the horizon, leading into yet another early night.

Sora waved to her coworker as she hurried to catch her bus. "Have a nice weekend, Lola. I'll see you on Monday!"

Amelia smiled and waved. "Thanks! You too."

Once she was gone, Amy returned her attention to her screen to finish the last of the day's paperwork. As she completed the mindless task, her thoughts strayed to the situation with Rem and this Kira. While she had her suspicions, the shinigami never told her who Kira was, only that he planned to come to her soon. The day was almost over and with it the agent's last chance until next week for Kira to confront her. What did Rem mean by "soon" anyway? She's a shinigami, so it wasn't hard to believe that she's incredibly old. Maybe she meant within the next year? Bambi really couldn't be sure.

A hand on her desk drew her out of her thoughts and she looked up to find Higuchi grinning down at her. It seemed as if he was ready to leave with his suitcase in his other hand, which surprised the hacker considering he always leaves long after she does – especially since the Yotsuba Kira meetings happened on Friday nights.

"You know, Lola, I've been thinking," he began as he grinned. "I learned quite a bit about you at the gala, but I feel like there's more to you than that. Why don't we go somewhere private so we can… get to know each other?"

Amelia's eyes widened for a brief moment. This had to be it. Higuchi had to be Kira. In hindsight, it should have been obvious. She knew that the Death Note could control people before they die and that seemed to be exactly what happened to his last secretary. Not to mention his behavior during the meetings. As dangerous as this was, she had to agree and bait him into confessing. It was now or never.

The teen gave him a false smile. "That sounds good."

If she hadn't seen it before, Bambi wouldn't have believed that his grin could extend as much as it did. Higuchi waited around as the young woman gathered what few things she had before locking up the office and having her follow him down to his car. The sun had set by then, the dark sky nearly suffocating her with only the street lamps and headlights of passing cars as her saviors. Even those became less frequent as time passed. Amy was making small talk with her boss as he drove her off to some unknown location. Matt and Near chimed in every so often to help her answer or keep her calm.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before they arrived at a run-down hotel in the outskirts of the city. Higuchi fell silent as he led the brunette up to the second floor and opened the unlocked door to one of the rooms near the outdoor stairs. Once inside, he closed the door behind the teen and turned on the lights in the small alcove by the door. The rest of the room was too dark for Amelia to see, but the man's sleazy grin was very clear as she turned around.

His eyes trailed up and down her body, making her shudder involuntarily as he spoke in a lustful tone. "What do you say to having something to drink before we go further?"

He took a step toward her.

She forced an awkward laugh as she took a step back. "Didn't you want to talk about something, like Kira?"

He immediately frowned and furrowed his eyebrows as he scrutinized the teen for a few moments. "Why?"

She mirrored his expression. Much to her surprise, he was either a very good actor or he had no idea that she knew. Maybe this was a trap at Rem's making. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought.

Higuchi opened his mouth to address Bambi again, but his breath stopped short as his eyes went wide. He gasped for air as he hunched over and clutched his chest before collapsing in front of the door, blocking her exit. Her eyes went wide as her stomach churned.

"What the Hell...?"

Just like that old video of Raye Penber, Higuchi struggled as he turned his head to face the agent. No. He wasn't looking at Amy, but behind her. His eyes went wide as he opened his mouth before he exhaled his final breath and went limp. Hesitantly, Amelia followed his dying gaze, and out from the darkness stepped Rem and Rin Tamura.

The Shadow CEO smirked as she looked down at the body and commented, "I managed to get this far without having to kill him, but controlling him directly was the only way to guarantee that we met given how uncooperative he was with my demands."

Matt whispered through her earpiece, "I'll be there as soon as I can. Just hold her off as long as you can."

Rin looked up at Bambi and motioned for her to cross the room. "Sit, Lola. We have so much to talk about."

Amy's eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness around her, showing her the couch the Yotsuba Kira was pointing to. If she followed Rin's instructions, that would put her between Bambi and the door. Still, she had to stall. Despite the obvious dangers, she complied. As she took her seat on the couch, she noted several things in her surroundings. Rin sat on the chair across from the teen as she grinned, only the coffee table and small vase between them. The table itself wasn't in great condition, looking fairly easy for one person to pick up. In the corner next to Amelia was a small lamp, which she reached for and turned on. As she turned to face Rin again, Bambi noted how far the door was from her. Rem was hovering behind Kira as she watched on, locking eyes with the teen briefly.

Rin pulled out a black notebook and place it on her lap as she mentioned, "You're smart enough. Surely you know why I had him bring you here."

Although the title on the notebook was facing her, Bambi could still read the words 'Death Note,' reminding her of the life or death situation she had found herself in. Ready to play the game, she looked back up at Kira and raised an eyebrow.

Her tone was uncertain as she suggested, "Because... you find me attractive?"

Rin laughed. "Attractiveness means nothing in this business – you need to go after people with power and money, neither of which you have. Guess again."

Bambi did her best to keep her expression from changing, despite the smile that threatened to tug at her lips. She had to keep the act going as long as she could.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "But what about that time we spoke? You were pretty much coming on to me."

The older woman shook her head as she laughed again. "Maybe I'm giving you too much credit. You really have no idea, do you? Oh, well. I suppose I'll just tell you. When I first learned that you were looking into me, I tried to kill you using the name Lola Montez. You're still here, so you're clearly working under an alias."

Amelia couldn't help the chills that ran down her spine at the knowledge that an attempt had been made on her life.

Rin hummed before using a seductive, yet teasing tone to continue. "There are only two possible reasons for you to have an alias and to be so clearly looking for Kira according to my sources. So, which one is it, _Lola?"_

The teen did her best to calm her nerves before grinning and excitedly explaining, "I've been looking for you. I'm your biggest fan – I'm the second Kira."

Much to her surprise, no one listening in from the task force had anything to say about her claim. Perhaps they were all en route? That or whoever was listening wanted to hear the whole story – but that didn't matter now. What did matter was that she kept Rin believing her for as long as possible. Otherwise it could cost her life.

The corners of the Shadow CEO's lips curved upward slightly as she purred, "Interesting. How did you find Yotsuba?"

Wary of giving the truth, Amy told her, "I asked my shinigami to look for another shinigami in the area. He led me to Yotsuba, but wouldn't tell me who it was."

Rin frowned and narrowed her eyes. "I didn't know that Rem was contacted by another shinigami."

Bambi's heart skipped a beat as she prepared for the worst, but Rem spoke up. "Ryuk asked me not to say anything. He wanted to test her."

Kira visibly relaxed before demanding, "I want to see him."

The agent's heart raced as she scrambled for an excuse, but Rem covered for her again. "He isn't here right now. She must not have her Death Note with her."

The older woman pouted. "Fine." She paused for a moment before smirking. "Did you really think that Higuchi was Kira?"

Amelia glanced to his dead body near the door a short distance away.

She gulped as her nerves began to worsen before admitting, "You really had me fooled there."

Rin nodded before admitting, "You know, I couldn't kill him directly since it's well known in the company that he and I are rivals. I must congratulate you for being so good that you forced my hand. I was trying to incriminate him as a backup in case L became suspicious of Yotsuba. I planned to kill him after he was arrested if that happened." She grinned darkly. "You _do_ know why I'm telling you this, right?"

"If I were the second Kira, you would tell me anyway so I could aid you. If I wasn't, you would kill me as soon as you found out."

She grinned. "Exactly." There was a short pause before she added, "Oh, right. You have an alias." Rin pursed her lips for a moment before commanding Rem, "Make the trade."

The shinigami's eyes went wide, but she complied. When the process was complete, Rin's eyes went wide and she looked above the teen's head.

"Amelia Stein," she purred.

A vision of Beyond Birthday flashed before Amelia's eyes as she realized that he had done the same, but she managed to push it back and focus on the present as the Yotsuba Kira addressed her again.

"If you answer any of my questions incorrectly, I will kill you." She opened the Death Note and held a pen over one of the pages. "Now, what did I just do?"

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows. Which part was she referring to?

"You killed Higuchi with your Death Note and traded eyes with your shinigami."

"And what do the eyes do?" she asked.

"They allow you to see a human's name and lifespan."

It was clear to Amy now that she couldn't tell Rin that she found her through the rule that one cannot see the lifespans of those who own a Death Note. Still, the agent deduced that this Kira didn't know about the rule since she still sees the possibility of Bambi being the second Kira.

"What is Kira's method of killing?" Rin asked.

"The Death Note."

She grinned. "Good, but you could know that if you caught one of the original Kiras. What do you do with the Death Note to make it work?"

"You write a name while picturing the person's face."

"And what happens then?"

"They will die of a heart attack unless you specify otherwise," Amelia explained.

"Correct."

Rin hummed before admitting, "You clearly have a good knowledge about the Death Note and how it works, but that doesn't clear you just yet. You claimed to be the second Kira, so you'll need to prove that." She stood and looked out the window a few steps away. "Tell me the name of the man across the street."

Amelia's heart sank at the request. She could give as much information as Rem gave her, but she could never give what she couldn't see. Her charade was over, but she was determined to stay alive. Still, she hesitated a moment too long and sirens began to sound off in the distance.

Rin flashed her a dark grin. "I knew you weren't the second Kira. Prepare to die."

She started to write in the Death Note. Bambi's eyes went wide before she flipped the table across the room, knocking Rin over. In the chaos, Kira had managed to drop the Death Note a short distance away. She glared daggers at the teen for a moment before scrambling to reach the notebook first. Desperately, Amelia grabbed a fistful of her hair and violently pulled back. Rin cried out as auburn locks were ripped from her head. Amy released her grip and dove for the Death Note, but Rin was quick to tackle her to the ground as she tried to take it back. With no way to get away from the woman, Amelia threw the notebook across the room. Rin jumped up to run after it, but the teen swept her leg under Kira's. As the older woman tripped, Bambi called out to Rem for help.

The shinigami grabbed Rin from behind as Amy made a dash for the Death Note, much to Kira's rage. The Shadow CEO screamed and writhed in the shinigami's grip as she clearly realized what had occurred behind her back. Amelia's eyes went wide as she watched Rin completely lose it before scrambling to her feet and running outside, leaving the crazed woman behind.

A sea of flashing lights and the buzz of nearby helicopter greeted her at the top of the stairs. Bambi rushed down the stairs and stepped out of the way as she recognized much of the task force charging into the room she had just escaped from. Amy backed away as the helicopter landed, whipping around only when she heard Rin's cries again, but she was greeted with the vision of Aizawa and Mogi dragging the woman out to one of the cars in handcuffs. After making brief eye contact with Rem, Amelia opened the Death Note in her hands and peered at the page that had just been open. Her eyes went wide as her heart nearly stopped: there was only one letter missing from her full name. Had she waited a moment longer, she would have died.

"What is that?"

Her eyes went wide for a moment as she turned to face the source. Soichiro was standing beside her, his attention on the notebook in her hands. Amelia hesitated as she glanced to Rem, still shaking.

"It's..." She nervously held it out for the detective. "It's Kira's method of killing."

Soichiro took the Death Note from the teen's hands before looking up, his gaze landing on Rem. He screamed and backed away in a panic as he locked eyes with the shinigami, causing a commotion amongst the investigators. As the members of the task force came to see what was wrong, the elder Yagami had them take hold of the murderer's book and see for themselves. Bambi made eye contact with Rem as the Death Note made its rounds, and the shinigami slowly shook her head to indicate that Amy keep quiet.

A screech rang out from the car where Rin was being held as her eyes widened and she clutched her chest. Her final song ended as she collapsed in her seat, dead. Bambi's eyes went wide as she looked on, a wave of relief washing over her to know that this Kira was gone. Almost immediately after that, she felt a pang of guilt. Was it really right to be happy about someone's death?

Before she could spiral further, Amy heard a familiar voice call out to her from behind, prompting the corners of her lips to curve into a grin as she turned to face him. She only managed to catch a glimpse of Matt before he picked her up and spun her around. He put the brunette down as he pulled her close and weaved his fingers into her hair.

"Thank God, you're alright." He breathed a sigh of relief. "I was so worried."

Amy couldn't help but smile as she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. Soon they heard someone from behind fake a cough and they pulled away. Amelia turned to face the source, only to find L standing behind her.

He was frowning slightly when he spoke. "There is something important that I must discuss with you."

She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

 

In a flash Amelia found herself in the same position she held nearly three years ago – only this time she was innocent and L was physically present for the interrogation.

She pulled on the chains that locked her wrists to the table as she argued, "For the last time, I'm _not_ the second Kira!"

"And you expect me to believe that? I'll admit that I've had some suspicions ever since we first discovered the second Kira, but your words with Tamura were not the only evidence against you," L explained. "It's impossible for you to be the original given your imprisonment when I challenged Kira, but you could still be the second Kira as you claimed. You knew that Kira killed Beyond Birthday. Between that and your similar lines of thinking during your years as Robin Hood, it's not a stretch to say that you sympathize with Kira and were trying to set someone else up just as Tamura did."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "This is ridiculous and you know it. Even if what you're saying were true, you can't control someone to incriminate them without killing them."

"How do you know?"

Her eyebrow twitched. "I'm starting to doubt that you actually listened to the whole conversation. Rin implied it in one of the first things she said to me." She groaned before adding, "Besides, you were literally right next to me during the Sakura TV thing. You know I didn't do anything other than my Robin Hood stuff."

"Now that we know about the Death Note, it wouldn't surprise me if you could set a date and time for deaths," he argued. "You could have controlled Ukita to leave and die at the station."

Amy huffed. "I guess that's possible, but it doesn't matter because _I'm not the second Kira!"_

"Then how did you know about the rules?" he argued. "You knew about the Death Note before anyone else on the task force."

The brunette tightened her lips into a thin line. According to how Rem reacted when the others saw her, Bambi was certain that the shinigami's threat against her life was still active. Amy couldn't tell Ryuzaki the truth, but maybe Rem could.

"I want to talk to Rem."

"Why should I do that?"

The teen furrowed her eyebrows. "Just get her. I'm sure she can explain everything."

"No."

Amelia pouted as she narrowed her eyes at him before turning to the camera in the corner. "Rem, please come here. I need to ask you something."

L turned to the camera as he commanded, "Don't listen to-"

With that, the shinigami passed through the ceiling and into the room.

Amy looked up at her and asked, "Could you _please_ explain everything to him? I know you said not to say anything, but he won't believe me otherwise."

There was a short silence before Rem answered, "Very well." She turned to L and admitted, "I approached her when she was alone and offered to help catch Rin, but I told her that I would kill her if she told anyone."

He frowned. "Why pick Bambi? We had another agent in Yotsuba. And why are you telling me this now?"

"Rin already figured out that she had an alias – it was an obvious decision knowing her plans," the shinigami explained. "I thought that she would be more willing to cooperate if she thought I was going to kill her."

A few moments passed as L put his thumb to his lip and looked away, deep in thought.

When he finally spoke, he decided, "We will need to interrogate those who were chosen for Kira's murder group, specifically Mr. Shimura." He looked up at Rem. "And I'll need to ask you questions about the Death Note."

The shinigami remained silent as Watari walked in and unlocked Bambi's handcuffs, freeing her. She stood and rubbed her sore wrists before stepping into the hallway where she was greeted by Matt. The redhead grinned as he briefly hugged her.

As he pulled away, he explained. "I kept trying to tell him the truth, but he wouldn't listen."

"When does he ever?" she snorted. "You know how he gets when he's set on something. Just look at Light and Misa."

Miles thought for a moment before nodding to himself. "Yeah, I guess you have a point there." He reached for her hand. "Anyway, lets get going. They're busier than ever up there and we haven't even started the real interrogations yet."

With that said, Amelia followed him into the elevator and up to the investigation floor where the others were scrambling to complete paperwork and make sense of this whole ordeal. As they moved to approach Near and Mello, Bambi's gaze landed on Light. The former Kira suspect was clearly lost in thought, his brows furrowed and his hands interlocked in front of his mouth.


	34. 34. Life and Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first of three chapters that will be published over the next few days. Please note that I am also making a change in characterization that I found incredibly unrealistic in the original, and makes even less sense to keep given the events of The Fawn.
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the chapter!

*** * * November 4 * * ***

In the days following Bambi's interrogation, Misa and Light were officially released from custody. Misa gave Amy a lengthy goodbye before giving the agent her phone number and asking her to keep in touch. None of the investigators have seen her since then. On the other hand, Light had remained as loyal to the Task Force as ever, opting to continue investigating until this was brought to an end – or at least until the next school year began. Both he and L, among several others, had suggested that they wished to unveil the true identities of the original Kiras.

After a thorough investigation of the Death Note, the Task Force found an entry for Higuchi that was highly elaborate and several pages long. Practice notes were found in her residence, likely timing her writing to the rules of the notebook and making sure that while no other names were written, the instructions were clear enough that he would do exactly as she wanted. It turned out that he was controlled to report on the actions of his secretaries by leaving a sheet in an envelope on his desk every day. L's interrogations had led to the discovery that Rin was blackmailing Shimura into picking up Higuchi's daily reports. Even the events at the gala were carefully staged by the Shadow CEO.

When Sora was brought in she revealed that Rin had been blackmailing her into handing over all information she heard about the other employees, but the Shadow CEO had taken a special interest in Bambi in early October. Amelia's former coworker was both relieved and horrified at the deaths of Rin and Higuchi, and confided that she was going to leave the company early now that no one was keeping her resignation from moving forward. Realizing that "Lola" was an agent, Sora thanked her for all she had done and wished her luck with both the investigation and the rest of her life.

With the interrogations of the Yotsuba employees finished, L was focusing his interrogations on Rem. Unfortunately, she revealed nothing other than what was written in the Death Note – not even answering questions that she had for Bambi. Still, the teen kept her silence out of caution.

The investigators were all sitting in the main investigation room as L took a break from speaking with Rem and sat next to Light near the computers.

Matsuda hesitated before walking over to the genius. "Ryuzaki, I noticed that one of the rules says that Kira would die if he didn't use the Death Note every thirteen days. If this is really one of the original Kiras' Death Notes, they would already be dead by now."

L took a bite from his cake as he argued, "Just because a rule is written, that doesn't make it true. Besides, we don't know if this notebook belonged to the original Kiras or not." He pushed a strawberry around his plate with his fork. "If the rule is true or if they are dead, we should still identify them. If I'm correct and they are still alive, we will soon catch them and send them to the electric chair," he commented with a wide grin. "At the very least, if we cannot get the capital punishment, we would have them write their own name in the book. That's how it is." He paused before adding, "Well, that's a conversation we should have after we capture them. It's not something we should be thinking about right now."

Rem was silent, but her eyes went wide for a brief moment as she glanced around the room. Amelia frowned as she warily eyed the shinigami. Maybe it wasn't obvious during L's interrogations of her, but Bambi's private interactions with her made it clear that she was incredibly protective over the original Kiras – enough to go against Rin and threaten Amy, at least. There was no way Rem would be taking their deaths well.

Mello chimed in from a short distance away. "We don't need to think about it. Kira is a mass murderer and deserves death."

Amelia glanced to Rem again as she furrowed her brows. "We shouldn't condemn Kira to death."

L narrowed his eyes at her. "And why not?"

"For a few reasons." She held up a finger. "One: it would make us no different from him. No matter how narcissistic he comes off, Kira kills criminals to protect people – and that's exactly what giving him the death penalty would be seen as. It's hypocritical. Two-"

"How do I know you're not just making up excuses because you support Kira?" he accused.

Her eyebrow twitched as she put her hands on her hips. "If I were on Kira's side, then I would see death as a valid punishment."

"You could be lying," he pointed out. "Given your history, you don't have a good grasp on true justice anyway."

"Oh, I'm the one without a sense of justice?" Amy narrowed her eyes at him. "I know how you work, Ryuzaki; you only want to catch Kira to say that you won, not out of any true regard for justice. If you actually wanted justice, you wouldn't sentence Kira to death because giving him the death penalty would just make you a damn hypocrite again!"

Mello chimed in, his arms folded. "Kira needs to be stopped – besides, the law is the law."

"Since when do you care about following that?" Matt argued with a frown. "We should still consider how his followers would react. Killing Kira would just make him a martyr."

"Don't just take her side because she's your girlfriend!" the blond snapped. "You know damn well that we can't just let Kira live. He's too dangerous!"

Light frowned slightly as he glanced to Bambi.

"That's not what I'm doing," Matt contested. "Yeah, she has a point, but it wasn't what I was thinking. People will go crazy if their 'god' is given the death penalty."

"Then people would trust police even less," Matsuda pointed out. "They would see us as the bad guys."

"Even if we give Kira life in prison, he will still be gone in their eyes and we would risk the same reaction," L argued. "It would be better to have Kira killed to prevent him from killing again."

Amelia tensed as she looked over to Rem, who looked ready to make a move.

"Now that we know Kira needs a Death Note to kill, we can just keep it away from him and he'll have to stop," Matsuda suggested.

"Guys, my other point-"

Light cut her off, pointing out to L, "Their argument is sound."

The raven-haired detective frowned before turning to Near.

The young man glanced to Bambi before confessing to his mentor, "I have come to realize that some criminals can contribute to the betterment of the world if stopped and offered a second chance."

"So you would have Kira work while in prison?"

"If he can help with cases, yes."

"What would he even be able to do without the Death Note?" L argued. "I still say we make him write his name in it."

As the shinigami started to back away, Amy's heart raced and she cried out, "I don't think it matters because Rem's probably going to kill anyone who wants to hurt the original Kiras!"

Rem halted in her tracks as the widened eyes of the investigators warily glanced to her, gasps and whispers scattered throughout its members.

L turned to her directly and asked, "Is this true?"

She hesitated before confessing, "If you plan to kill Kira, I will kill you."

He narrowed his eyes for a few moments before conceding. "Then we'll give Kira life in prison."

"Wait, Kira would be treated the same way corrupt officers are in prison," Matsuda pointed out. "The other inmates would kill him."

"What happens in prison isn't our concern," the great detective argued.

Rem spoke out, her voice booming. "I will not allow Kira to receive the death penalty or to be placed in prison."

Murmurs spread through the task force like wildfire before Mello stood his ground against the shinigami. "What else are we supposed to do?! Kira needs to be stopped."

"There is a guidebook to the Death Note in the shinigami realm," she explained. "It may hold loopholes that can be exploited to prevent Kira from using a Death Note again."

All eyes turned to L, who was silent for a few moments, gears turning as he considered the possibilities.

He looked up at Rem and told her, "Get this guidebook and we will work from there."

She nodded before addressing the group. "I need your permission to return to the shinigami realm. You are the owners of the Death Note and it is a rule that shinigami cannot return without permission from the human – or humans – who own the Death Note we haunt."

Although there was some hesitation from several investigators, all agreed and Rem passed through the wall.

A few moments passed before L announced, "Matt, Matsuda, and Bambi will work with Rem to come up with an alternate punishment, _but_ if we catch Kira before you make a decision, he will receive the death penalty."

*** * * November 9 * * ***

Several days had passed since Rem left to retrieve the guidebook. While her continued absence prevented L's team from working to create an alternate punishment for Kira, the rest of the investigators were able to continue working on Rin's case and finding the old Kira. Light was sitting at what had become his usual spot next to L by the computers. While he was sifting through the digital files he had been assigned, his focus was on other more important issues.

 _How could I let this go on for so long?_ He frowned, a forlorn look in his eye that he couldn't hide. _I was so certain that Kira was right – that I was right. Ridding the world of rotten people… that was my goal at the time – and I still believe that we need that – but that makes me a mass murderer. I've taken countless lives – and for what? Have things changed? Has life improved?_

He glanced to the side, spotting Bambi as she walked past. _No, what I did is not in vain. I protected her… I protected so many people from those criminals – from those monsters; and I can do it again. I will rise up and be her everything… I will be a God! I will protect my people from evil if it means that I have to wipe it out myself._

An emerging part of his mind called out in a hushed whisper, _Then you'll be the only monster left._

Light couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he clenched his teeth. _It doesn't matter anyway. I know that L will test all the rules he can – especially the thirteen day rule – and I need the Death Note if I'm to avoid suspicion._

_He weaved his fingers together in front of his face. How could my plan just fail like that? Nothing went right. L was supposed to die; Rem was supposed to kill him. Misa was supposed to get the Death Note for me. I never thought that I would actually break up with her._ He turned to the brunette, a frown on his face. _It's clear that she has had a greater effect on me than I thought._

When she sat next to Matt, Light's eyebrows twitched downward and his blood began to boil. _Damn him!_ He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. _No... I'll find a way to get rid of him. What I need now is to focus on what to do without Misa..._

The young man put a knuckle to his lips. _Still, I wanted to get rid of her from the start – she's more of a liability than anything, especially with Rem's threats to my life – maybe it was for the better._ He narrowed his eyes. _Though, Rem has been causing more trouble than I expected… I didn't sanction her to contact anyone other than the person she picked to be Kira. Between that and what happened a few days ago, it's clear that she is working only to protect Misa. I need to be careful, but I need a new set of eyes to survive._

Beside him, L had just changed the largest screen to a live video feed of an inmate sitting at a table. Light was drawn out of his thoughts and turned to scrutinize the detective. Meanwhile the rest of the Task Force gathered around them.

Matsuda was the only one to ask, "What are you doing, Ryuzaki?"

L grinned as he told him, "It would be easier to show you."

Soon the video feed pictured a cloaked man – Watari – standing beside the table. He took out a photograph and showed it to the man as he passed a black notebook across the table.

"This is Antonio Sanchez," Watari explained. "If you write that name here, you will be pardoned of your sentence in thirteen days."

The inmate did as he was told before the old man took the Death Note from him and left. A moment later, confirmation of Sanchez's death was displayed on one of the smaller screens.

"What?" Aizawa cried out. "We never agreed to this!"

"No, but it had to be done," L plainly told him before picking at his cupcake. "It's no different from when we had to put surveillance equipment in those homes."

"Y-Yeah, but this is someone's life at stake," Matsuda pointed out.

"He was set to receive the death penalty anyway. He'll just get life in prison if he survives."

Mello chuckled before commenting, "You guys should really be used to this by now. Ryuzaki doesn't care if he breaks the law for justice."

While the detectives entered a discussion of his rights or lack thereof to make such a decision, Light closed his eyes, mind brewing up a new plan.

 

Later that night, when many of the others were sleeping, Amelia heard a knock on her door. Before she could answer, it opened, revealing L, Matt, Mello, and Near – just as expected from the great detective's earlier mentions of a meeting. The prodigies followed the eldest into her room, forming a group as they waited for his announcement.

"Only you four and Watari will be given this information, but I am testing the thirteen day rule on another criminal," L explained. "If Light truly is Kira, he will be incredibly desperate right now. We know from what Rem said that she was the shinigami of the second Kira, and I suspect that there is another Death Note hidden away for the original Kira to use."

"There haven't been any deaths since we caught Rin," Matt pointed out. "Maybe Kira's really just gone."

"Or perhaps he has no access to his Death Note," Near suggested.

"My theory is that Kira hasn't thought that he needed it until now," L explained before moving on. "Our next test subject is Marcos Silva, a man serving time in Brazil. Watari will have him write another name in three days. If he does not die, but our first subject does, Light is certainly Kira."

"And if you die, you want us to continue with the test and arrest him," Mello deduced.

"Correct." L turned, sending a pointed look at both Bambi and Matt. "Since some of you often seem to forget this, I will remind you again to be wary of Light. Keep a closer eye on his behavior. If he is truly Kira, then he will begin to slip. If you are given the chance to determine the truth, I want you to do so."

Amy tightened her lips into a thin line and huffed. "Look, I really don't think he's Kira."

"And this kind of logic is what got you into this mess to begin with," he pointed out.

She folded her arms as she scowled and thought back to when he arrested her.

The hacker was silent for a few moments before grudgingly admitting, "I guess..."

"And Matt," the great detective began, "you're too forgiving and you're not thinking about it logically. We're doing this test for a reason and that is because I suspect it to be false. When we learn that I'm right, we'll know that Light is Kira."

The redhead frowned as he glanced away. "Alright, I'll keep a closer eye on him."

"Good. You're all dismissed."

*** * * November 14 * * ***

L's secret test subject had written in the Death Note two days ago and now they only had to wait until the 22nd and the 25th for the results. Of course, with Rem's return, Amy and Miles were busy working with her and Matsuda to come up with alternative methods to dealing with Kira once they caught him. Unfortunately, there was a strict rule against handing the guidebook to humans, but Rem was allowed to read it and explain the rules to the group.

As she read through the rules, Amy learned two things: (1) the Death Note was filled with intricacies that she had never even considered, and (2) the shinigami who wrote this was an incredibly repetitive and sometimes even contradictory person – er… god. It was no wonder that Rem thought the team would find exploitable loopholes.

The early rules explained more in depth about how shinigami eyes work; that once a name is written the person will die, even if the name is erased or otherwise covered up; and that there are still mysteries about the Death Note that have been unexplored by shinigami. After a while, Rem started to filter out the repetitive rules so as to waste less time.

"It is possible to write the cause of death and details of death up to nineteen human days before the name is written," she continued. "The Death Note will not affect those under 780 days old. The Death Note will be rendered useless if the victim's name is misspelled four times." She flipped to the next page. "Even though only one name is written in the Death Note, if it influences and causes other humans that are not written in it to die, the victim's cause of death will be a heart attack. When the same name is written on two or more Death Notes, the note which was first filled in will take effect, regardless of the time of death."

"What if we just misspell a name four times?" Matt suggested. "That would render the Death Note useless, so Kira wouldn't be able to kill anymore."

Rem flipped back through the guidebook before relaying, "Purposefully doing that will result in the death of whoever was writing."

The redhead froze. "Yeah... let's not go with that one..."

"What if a heart attack would cause other people to die anyway, like if the victim were driving a filled bus at a high speed or if the victim was pregnant?" Bambi asked. "Does the Death Note consider the fetus human at any point?"

"I'm not sure," Rem admitted. "From what I have heard from Kiras, the rules protecting other people seem fairly strict, but I do not know to what extent it was tested. It is possible that in the case of the bus driver, the victim would be spared a heart attack and the lives of the passengers saved, but it could also be that they would all die. I do not know if unborn humans are considered in the rules."

"If it was considered human, wouldn't it be protected by that under 780 days rule and the rule against killing those whose names aren't written?" Matt asked.

"The contradiction is there, but I don't know how the Death Note would operate under those conditions," she told him. "Either both would die or both would be spared. It's too uncertain… I don't know any shinigami who have tried it."

"Wow, these rules are so specific," Matsuda commented. "What are the odds of the same name being written twice? There's billions of people in the world."

"All shinigami own Death Notes," Rem reminded him, "and there are many shinigami in the realm. Back when humans first roamed the Earth, we were young beings as well. We were motivated by our own shorter life spans to kill your small population more frequently."

The Japanese detective laughed sheepishly. "O-Oh, I guess that makes sense... Hey, couldn't you tell us who Kira is to make this easier?"

"It is forbidden to reveal the names and locations of the owners of Death Notes in the human world," she explained.

"Oh..."

Rem waited a moment before moving on. "If you lose the Death Note or have it stolen, you will lose ownership unless you retrieve it within 490 days. Shinigami are forbidden from telling humans the name or lifespans of other humans. The Death Note can only operate within twenty-three human days. Only the shinigami who has passed on their Death Note to a human is able to kill the new owner of the Death Note." The shinigami hesitated for a few moments before reading, "The individuals who lose the ownership of the Death Note will also lose their memory of the usage of the Death Note."

"Will they lose their memory from the whole time they had the Death Note?" Matsuda asked.

"No, they only lose memories involving it."

Bambi grinned. "I've got it! If we keep the Death Note from Kira for 490 days, that would work with the memory rule and Kira wouldn't be Kira anymore."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Matt commented.

"Yeah!" Matsuda cried out.

Rem frowned. "There are many Death Notes in the shinigami realm. They could come into contact with another one and regain their memories… It is something to keep in mind if we fail to find anything else."

Amy pursed her lips and nodded before asking, "Since the Death Note can only operate within twenty-three days, is that the maximum amount of time someone can be controlled by it?"

"Yes, that is what Rin did to that man," Rem told her. "She controlled him as long as she could after she found out that you were investigating her." Looking back down at the guidebook, she continued. "The human who touched the Death Note will continue to recognize that shinigami's image and voice until they lose possession of the Death Note."

"Will we forget if we return the Death Note to you?" Matsuda asked.

She shook her head. "No, the memory rules only count for humans who have written in the Death Note."

With that said, she looked back into the guidebook. The shinigami was silent for a moment as she read the next rule, her eyes widening slightly.

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Find anything helpful?"

"Possibly…" Rem looked up as she explained, "A human can only regain memories of the Death Note up to six times. They will have to use it without any previous memory of it after that."

"That would take years to achieve according to the rule about misplacing the Death Note," Amy pointed out.

The shinigami was silent again before admitting, "There are other ways to lose memory of the Death Note. Humans can willingly give up ownership too."

"So if we make Kira give up ownership six times, he won't have any memory of being Kira," Miles concluded. "We could take away his Death Note too so he won't find one again."

"There's still the possibility that he could be handed another one," Matsuda pointed out.

"We could just monitor him for life," the redhead explained. "We'll be able to figure it out pretty quickly if he gets another Death Note, and we can just go through the process again."

"Make him give it up six more times?" Matsuda asked. "Would that work?"

Rem searched through the guidebook for a few minutes before explaining, "There is nothing against that possibility."

Matt grinned. "Looks like we just found our solution." He turned to Rem. "Is that okay with you?"

"Yes."

With that decided, the group prepared to present their plans to L.

L accepted the decision, though he was clearly disappointed that he would not be allowed to sentence Kira to death – a fact that Rem made sure to remind him of. Bambi, Matt, and Matsuda were reassigned to help find the old Kira again, though the atmosphere of the investigation room was much more lax than it had been. Amelia was making her way upstairs to the living quarters to take a break when she noticed Light in the hallway. It took him longer than she expected to stop and smile at her, something not quite right about his demeanor.

"I was just looking for you," he began before outstretching his hand. "I wanted to talk. Will you come with me?"

She hesitated as she thought for a moment. While she hadn't been suspicious of him since To-Oh, he hadn't been acting right these past few days. He had been more in his head, slow to react, and showing slight agitation. She would normally blow that off as frustration that Kira was still out there, but this was exactly how L predicted Light to act if he were Kira. Maybe it would be best to follow through as if he were – it would let her make this final judgement once and for all.

Back into her acting To-Oh demeanor, she shrugged noncommittally. "Yeah, sure."

The corners of his lips twitched upward as he lowered his arm. After thanking her, he began to lead her outside.

 

The sun shined brightly overhead, not a cloud in sight. It was crisp outside – not unexpected in the late-Autumn season – as Amy walked beside Light, following his lead through the park. The leaves on the trees were already a beautiful array of colors as they awaited their final days before winter struck. It was a strange sight after seeing the park in its peak season of Spring.

Light smiled softly as he asked, "Do you remember when we first met?"

The agent laughed. "Yeah. I was worried about interacting with you since it might jeopardize my mission, but it seemed to work out anyway."

They stopped before a small pond that was shadowed by a cherry blossom tree.

He gazed into the waters as he confessed, "When I met you that night, I saw you as someone I wanted to protect. I know now how capable you are, but your broken ankle and other injuries led me to that instinctual reaction. I wanted to protect you from the dangers that nights bring." He smiled at her. "I'm happy that I got to know you, even if it was through such unintended events."

She nodded. "You're a good friend, Light."

He sighed as he turned back toward the pond. "So much has changed since we met. If I'm being honest with myself, I know that my feelings for you haven't gone away."

Amelia frowned. "Look, you're a nice guy – and I'm sure you'll find someone – but I never liked you that way. Besides-"

"Matt. I know." Light scowled slightly before something changed in his mood – it was as if he was keeping some comment to himself out of politeness.

There was a short silence before he began again, tone having no hint of the resentment he so clearly showed just moments ago. "Our time together at To-Oh wasn't all a waste, I hope. Even if you were only there for a mission, there were enjoyable times too."

Bambi smiled as a memory surfaced in her mind. "Oh, like that time Kai bumped into one of the shelves and practically toppled the whole library." She laughed. "Man, that was hilarious!"

He forced a laugh. "You and I remember that incident very differently."

She shrugged. "No one got hurt… badly."

His expression went serious again as he looked her in the eye. "Bambi, I've been meaning to ask you something lately, but I haven't had the chance until now." He paused for a moment before beginning. "When we last spoke about this, you were working as an undercover agent. Now that we're equals, I want your real, honest opinion. What do you think of Kira?"

She hesitated as she frowned. Was all that small-talk just to lead up to this question? The longer this went on, the more he seemed to be Kira. That or L was testing either her willingness to lie for the investigation or her suspected identity of the second Kira. Since Rem vouched for her during her interrogation, she was willing to bet on the former – if this were a test at all. There was still the fact that Light had been acting almost exactly the way L predicted.

Bambi sighed. "I think that Kira is in the right, and I will do anything in my power to prevent his capture."

Light grinned. "I can't say that I'm surprised given your identity as Robin Hood."

She frowned slightly. "So you did know..."

"It was fairly easy to figure out, even if everyone avoided saying it directly," he admitted. "You really are similar to Kira; you both used the tools you had at your disposal to work to protect the innocent – but L had to go and arrest you." He looked back out to the pond as he commented, "You seem to be a slave to him."

"Stop exaggerating, it's not that bad," the hacker told him with a half-joking tone.

Light frowned slightly before forcing a laugh. "I was just kidding."

His calm façade was slipping again, making her feel more tense as the conversation went on.

"The way I know about the truth of your identity is the same as the way I know about what happened before you came to Japan," he cautiously continued. "It seems that it really was Kira who protected you from Beyond Birthday's wrath."

The agent forced a smile. "I'm thankful for his help."

He grinned. "Kira would be pleased to know this. I'm certain that he wants this safety for all his people."

Bambi's heart was pounding as she pointed out, "That would imply that you know what Kira thinks. You know, your messages for the Task Force as Kira were really convincing..."

Light was silent for a few moments as the corners of his lips extended into a wide grin, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Quite observant, aren't you?" he commented. "I am glad to know that you support me, because – as you clearly suspect – I am Kira."

She couldn't help but tense as her brows twitched downward for a brief moment and the corners of her lips threatened to pull down. Unfortunately, her reaction didn't get past him. He immediately frowned as he took a step back.

There was a short silence as they faced off against each other before he chuckled darkly and spoke again, a dangerous tone in his voice. "I'll admit that you had me fooled for a few minutes there, but that doesn't mean that I didn't come prepared for this. After all this time investigating Kira, you should know me better by now, Amy."

Her eyes went wide as a horrified whisper escaped her lips, "No..."

"You should really reconsider your views anyway, being Robin Hood," he added with outstretched arms. "You and I are one and the same – if we can take action to make a better world, we should. Legality isn't a concern of yours or mine when we improve the lives of the innocent. Join me, Amy, and together we can rule this world."

Amelia was shaking as she stood there, fearing provoking him further. She regretted coming here with all her being. It would have been easier to take the back seat and just let him get caught naturally. Light frowned for a brief moment, but quickly replaced it with a confident smirk. His eyes betrayed his true feelings, though.

"You will do as I say!" he cried out. "You're going to hack into the Wammy House files and get L's true name for me. You will also get me the names of Matt, Mello, Near, and Watari, but L is your number one priority now."

She frowned. "That's not even the name of the place."

He narrowed his eyes. "Matsuda is too stupid for L not to trust. Who do you think I got it from?"

Amelia scowled. "Why would I listen to you?"

Light hesitated before a Cheshire grin formed on his lips. "Because... I already wrote your name in the Death Note."

Her eyes went wide as her heart stopped. No... it couldn't be... She opened her mouth, but couldn't will any words out.

"You will wait here for at least an hour before returning," he commanded. "When you come back, tell no one. If they ask, you were thinking about your friends back at home. What was her name again?" He smirked. "Oh, it was Melinda, wasn't it?"

Bambi clenched her fists as she narrowed her eyes at Kira, body shaking as she watched him walk off. She lost sight of him as her vision began to blur. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she collapsed to her knees.


	35. Goodbye

It was late when Amelia finally returned to headquarters, overwhelmed by a mental numbness after spending so long thinking about her situation. Once she passed through the numerous identification points as she had done so often during her previous mission, she stepped into the empty elevator. The young woman reached out to select the floor that she resided on, but a sudden thought left her finger hovering over the button. A few moments passed before she moved and pressed the one next to it. She was lifted to the floor directly above hers and made her way down the hall to a room that she had been spending increasingly more time in over the past few months. She took a deep breath and pressed her lips together before hesitantly knocking on the door and letting herself in. Matt stepped out from his bedroom with a smile, but upon noticing her expression the corners of his lips tugged into a slight frown. Amy was able to take a few steps forward before halting, another wave of terrified chills wracking her body as she looked down and sucked in a breath.

As the redhead stopped before her, he gently touched her arm. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I-I was wrong," she began as she looked up at him. "Light really is Kira. He wants me to give him Ryuzaki's name and eventually yours and the others' too."

His eyes went wide as he whispered a horrified, "What?"

"He knows my name... He said that he already wrote it in his Death Note," she told him.

Matt's eyebrows pinched together as he glanced around, mind racing. "No... that- that can't be." He looked back at his girlfriend with a panicked expression. "Maybe he's just bluffing – he has to be."

Bambi frowned. "He called me 'Amy' and he knows Melinda's name too. He has to be the person she messaged."

"But... h-he has a crush on you! He wouldn't..."

She tightened her lips into a thin line before whispering, "Miles, I'm sorry... Ryuzaki said he would be desperate."

"It's not your fault," he shot back with a shockingly harsh tone before realizing what he had done. "Sorry... Why don't we tell Ryuzaki?"

"He still doesn't trust me," she argued. "Physical evidence would be best. Without his name, Light will still write the name of the first criminal to be safe. He clearly can't hack into Wammy's, other he never would have gone this far." She sucked in a breath to calm her escalating nerves before telling him, "I-If I'm going to die, I'm doing it to protect the people I care about."

"Don't say that. Please, don't say that," Miles begged.

Amelia clenched her fists slightly as she yelled, "He knows my name – he wrote it down! I have twenty-three days to live at most and I'm trying my best to stay calm and rational."

"I know!"

Her eyes went wide as she backed down, watching as Matt trembled and began to tear up.

"I know..." he quietly repeated. "I just... I-I can't lose you too."

She couldn't resist her own tears as she suggested, "I'm sorry... Maybe it would be best if we stopped seeing each other so you can move on after... after I..."

"No, I won't do that," he affirmed. "I love you, Amy, and that's not something that can go away so quickly. I'm going to stay by your side until the end – I promise you that."

*** * * November 21 * * ***

Several days had passed since Light made the mistake of revealing his identity to Amy and he was currently sitting in his room at the Yagami residence. Through the clever wording that had allowed him to give Rem permission to return to the shinigami realm, she was also able to stay at the investigation headquarters with the Death Note when he wasn't there. While this gave him more room to act in secret, it didn't save him completely. Bambi still hadn't told him L's name yet, claiming that she was having difficulty getting into the Wammy servers from so far away.

He scowled as he clenched his fists and paced around the room. _Damn it! Why didn't I expect her to switch sides? If it weren't for Rem going against my instructions, none of this would have happened!_ He slammed his hands on his desk. _If only I had her surname! Then I could actually write her name and just make her do it._

Kira roughly ran his fingers through his hair as he backed away. _I need to calm down and focus on what I can do. That man needs to die tomorrow to keep the illusion of the thirteen-day rule true._ He pursed his lips as he drew a knuckle to them. _I could dig up the Death Note myself, but I don't have the time. Besides, if all else fails or if she tells L, not having it in my possession would make it a matter of her word against mine, and L still seems suspicious of her. He frowned. I could wait for Rem to kill him – she would do anything to protect Misa._

A few moments passed before his eyebrows twitched downward. _No, there was supposed to be an alternate plan on how to deal with Kira. If they managed to come up with something, Rem wouldn't bother to risk her life... and I wouldn't be surprised if L was keeping that solution from me._

Light reached down to his watch and opened the secret compartment. The name 'Rin Tamura' was carefully scrawled on one side of the piece of Death Note. He flipped it over before carefully setting the test subject to die the following afternoon of a heart attack.

*** * * November 26 * * ***

A few days had passed since L announced to the Task Force that the thirteen-day rule was true, therefore Kira was already dead. Using the ruse of testing the other written rules and identifying the original Kiras, L kept the investigators working at headquarters. Light had noticeably relaxed since then, but he was still trying to discreetly get L's name from Bambi; of course, Matt's constant presence around her made that even more difficult – something she was grateful for. The way Amy saw it, Light could either take that as if Matt knew the truth and was being protective or he could see it as Matt being jealous in some way. To be perfectly frank, she didn't really care which he thought it was. All they needed now was that final result of the secret test, and Miles, L, and everyone else would be safe from him.

Everyone was currently on the investigation floor, L sitting a short distance away from Light at the wall of computers. Bambi and Matt were sitting at a table not too far away from Kira, as was Mello, who was intently watching the suspect from afar as he munched on a bar of chocolate. Without warning, the screens above the great detective lit up with an Old English 'W'.

L grinned. "Ah, Watari. Do you have the results?"

"Results...?" Matsuda paused to ask.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "You did another test without telling us?!"

Light tensed as he watched the detectives out of the corner of his eye.

L ignored the investigators, instead listening as Watari announced, "Marcos Silva is still alive."

Matt tightened his hand around Bambi's as Mello stood from his spot.

"What does that mean?" Soichiro asked. "What did you test?"

"It means," L began as he stood from his seat, "that your son is Kira."

"What?!"

Light quietly stood, eyes widened slightly as he likely put together the truth. He began to slowly back away while the others were preoccupied.

"While we did test the thirteen-day rule on that first man and he did die of a heart attack in the specified time period, he was not the only criminal we tested," L admitted. "That night I had Watari fly to Brazil to have another man, Marcos Silva, write a name in the Death Note in secret. Only the five people I trust were made aware of this: Watari and my successors."

Bambi furrowed her eyebrows and exchanged glances with Matt.

"If both men died, then the rule would be deemed true and Marcos Silva's test kept a secret," the head detective continued. "If only the first man died, then it was because Kira killed him to preserve his own life and try to make the rule seem true." He turned around with a sly grin. "Isn't that right, Light?"

The suspected teen clenched his fists as he narrowed his eyes slightly. A few tense moments passed before he threw his head back and began to laugh in complete hysteria – his sanity clearly slipping with every passing moment.

When he faced L again, the corners of his lips were extended in a wide grin. "That's right... I'm Kira, and the God of this new world."

Gasps erupted from the investigators.

Soichiro furrowed his eyebrows, deepening the creases on his forehead. "No.. tell me it's not true, Light."

The younger Yagami narrowed his eyes. "I am Kira! What will you do? Kill me here and now?!" He glanced to Rem. "In the world we live in, I am law and I protect order. I am justice. Can you really kill me?" He glared at L. "You're the one who has to die if the world is to achieve order – you will all die and I will finally be justice!"

"Well, that was easier than I expected," L admitted. "Mello."

Almost instantaneously he tackled Light to the ground and handcuffed him.

Soichiro frowned as he looked his son in the eye. "I am so disappointed in you."

Kira's mental state spiraled further as he kicked and screamed, eyes narrowed at the only woman on the Task Force. "You lied to me! You were supposed to get L's name and you lied!"

Mello and Mogi forced him out of the room as the eyes of the others landed on Bambi.

She tightened her lips into a thin line before she looked L in the eye. "He threatened me. When I went on that walk with him, he told me the truth and tried to threaten me into getting your name. He wanted to kill everyone on the Task Force!" She took a deep breath before explaining, "He said that he already wrote my name... I would have told you, but I didn't think you would believe me after you interrogated me."

L was silent for a few moments before confessing, "Actually, I had Watari install listening devices in the belts, so I heard the whole exchange."

"What?!" Matt stood from his seat, eyes narrowed at the great detective. "Then why didn't you do anything?"

"Between his confession to her and the results we got from the test subjects, we have a goldmine of evidence. We just need the Death Note now," he explained. "I have been wary of her this whole time." He gestured to the space between them. "You'll notice that I have been keeping my distance in the event that her name was truly written and she was controlled to kill me herself."

"Wait, can't Rem see lifespans?" Matsuda suggested. "She would know if Bambi's name was written or not."

"We can only see a human's original lifespan," the shinigami told him. "I have no way of knowing whether he was telling the truth."

L was silent for a moment before announcing, "Now that that's settled, Bambi will be placed in solitary confinement with no technology for the safety of everyone until December 6th. According to the rules we heard from Rem, she could be controlled for twenty-three days before the Death Note kills her – if her name was truly written."

"What?! No way!" Matt argued. "How could you make someone spend what could be their final days like that! What's wrong with you?!"

Amelia was shaking, but gently touched his hand. "Matt, please... If he wrote my name, he could have controlled me to attack you or break him out. It's the only way to keep everyone safe."

He furrowed his brows as he tightened his lips and avoided eye contact, his voice low. "But..."

"You will be allowed to visit her once a day," L told him, "but it will be supervised."

*** * * December 7 * * ***

Nearly two weeks had passed, as did Bambi's final day – or what would have been her final day if her name was written in the Death Note. Miles stepped into the room one last time, a smile on his face as he ran to Amelia and pulled her into a tight embrace. Neither teen could stop the relieved tears that streamed down their cheeks, mixed with sighs. A few minutes passed before L joined the couple.

"Well, it seems that Light was bluffing after all," the head detective announced as the teens separated. "Now that you are a part of the investigation team again, there is much to fill you in on."

Matt frowned. "Can't this wait? She shouldn't have to-"

"Not if we want to end this," L told him before looking to the brunette. "Light has refused to speak with anyone but you, though he did admit that Misa was the second Kira."

Bambi's eyes went wide. "But... we let her go..."

"Rem told us that Misa has no memories, and she said that she would kill everyone if we pursue her," he explained with a huff. "As far as Light goes, while we still haven't found his Death Note, everything else is so damning that there is no real need to find it anymore."

"Did you go through with the plan yet?"

"Actually, I want you and Rem to do that."

"She shouldn't have to face him after what he just did to her!" Matt argued.

L narrowed his eyes slightly at the young man. "That's why I'm not letting you down there – or Mello, for that matter..."

After some consideration, Amelia spoke. "I'll do it."

With that decided, L brought her down to where Light was being detained. It was the same room where L had interrogated her, and Kira's wrists were chained to the table just as hers were. He scowled as he looked up at the newcomers, though upon spotting the young woman, he grinned.

"You came."

The agent frowned slightly as she took the seat across from him.

Light leaned forward as he whispered, "Now you can let me out."

"I'm not going to do that," she told him. "You're familiar with the concept of giving up the Death Note, right?"

He frowned.

"Well," she began as Rem passed through the wall, Death Note in hand. "It turns out that giving it up six times permanently erases your memories of it."

"Five for him," the shinigami corrected.

Bambi nodded. "Okay... five, then."

"No. _No!"_ he cried out in hysteria. "Why aren't you helping me?"

"I'm saving your life."

"You're _ruining_ it!"

She deadpanned. "You tried to kill me."

"Only because you weren't cooperating!" he retorted. "You're Robin Hood – you were supposed to be on my side!"

"People change, Light." Amelia sighed. "I learned over time that my actions were wrong. When I was in Yotsuba, I learned firsthand that I only made things worse. No matter how good your intentions were initially, Kira is the same. Only time away from it will let you see that."

He clenched his fists as he glared at her. "No. I will not give up the Death Note. I am the God of this world and that's how it's meant to be!"

Rem opened her Death Note. "Relinquish the Death Note or I will kill you."

Light and Bambi looked up at her with wide eyes. When Kira made no motion of compliance, the shinigami began to write.

"Stop!" he screamed. "I forfeit! I give up the Death Note!"

With that, she close the notebook and Light froze.

The young man furrowed his brows for a moment before looking back to the hacker before him. "This is ridiculous. Bambi, I'm not Kira, and you know it. I would never threaten you like that."

She was silent, instead listening to Rem. "He can't see or hear me anymore. He'll only be able to see the Death Note when I release it. You must make him touch it; if you do first, you will be the official owner of the notebook. This will only work if he owns it."

As Light questioned her ignoring of his words, Rem dropped the notebook in front of him. He jumped back as his eyes went wide.

"W-What the Hell?" He looked up to Bambi. "D-Did you just see that?"

"Yeah... freaky. Why don't you see what's in it?"

He reached out for the notebook and the moment it touched his fingers his eyes went wide and his pupils briefly dilated.

Immediately, he frowned. "This is a mistake. I'm supposed to be the God of this world. Please, Bambi, don't make me do this."

"It's either this, the death penalty, or death by shinigami," she dryly told him. "You don't have much of a choice."

He hesitated before asking, "And what will happen to me when my memories are gone?"

"You'll be monitored for life."

He sighed. "Fine. Rem, I give up the Death Note."

Again he was wrought with confusion as he looked down at the book in front of him. "...Death... Note...?" He looked up at Bambi. "I'm telling you, I'm not Kira! It doesn't matter if I agree with him somewhat because I could never do what he does myself."

"I know, Light. Just look inside." She gestured to the notebook.

Just as before, he tensed when his memories returned for what was the third time. Kira clenched his teeth and looked away as he relinquished ownership again. As expected, he became frustrated and the process repeated two more times. Surprisingly, when he lost his memories for a fifth time, he remained looking down. Bambi scrunched her nose as she carefully scrutinized him before glancing to Rem.

"It worked," she assured the teen.

Light hesitantly looked up, tears having accumulated in the corners of his eyes. "Please, stop this. I'm not Kira and I'm sick of being treated like him."

She frowned, taking on a slightly apologetic tone. "I know, Light. Just... humor me one more time."

Not giving him room to argue, Amelia dragged his hand to the Death Note. For the last time, his Kira memories returned. Rem took the Death Note from the table and passed through the wall, her task complete. Light was silent for a few moments before heaving a sigh.

"Amy... I'm sorry for what I did," he began, catching her off guard. "I never intended for you to get hurt. I only wanted to help the world."

She gave him a sad smile. "You can do that in other ways. Look at me, I had the same frame of mind and I'm back here helping Ryuzaki with cases and being an upstanding citizen." She laughed. "Look, you're smart and you're into justice. I think you'll do just fine."

He smiled softly, though his eyes were still sad. "Thank you..." He took a deep breath. "I give up my ownership of the Death Note... and my role as Kira."

The now memory-less Kira was silent, having given up on his argument against being the mass murderer.

Bambi gave her best forced smile. "Hey, great news! Ryuzaki believes you now. Sorry you had to go through all that."

As Watari came in and unchained him from the table, Light grumbled, "Finally..."

The trio returned to the investigation room, where everyone else was waiting. As Amy joined Matt's side, L addressed the former Kira.

"We located the true Kira and the second Kira while you were being held," he explained. "It turns out that she was a young teenager, just like you suggested."

Light furrowed his brows. "How did she die?"

"Car accident," Mello grumbled with folded arms.

L addressed the rest of the investigators. "Congratulations on catching Kira. You can all go home now."

*** * * December 18 * * ***

No announcements had been made about Kira's capture to prevent an outcry from his followers for as long as possible. The Task Force had been disbanded and the headquarters building put up for sale. Only L, Watari, and the Wammy Teams remained in the building, and that would only be until their flights back to their respective cities later that night. All but Watari were gathered in the investigation room with bags packed as L gave them their final instructions.

"I have new assignments lined up for each of your teams," he began as he handed out folders.

Mello was silent for a few moments before returning the files to the great detective. "After a lot of thinking, I've decided that I need to work on my own."

"In doing that, you will forfeit the title of L."

"I know."

Matt chimed in. "Well, in that case, I'm out too. I never wanted the title anyway, but it was kinda cool investigating for a while." He smiled at Amy.

L nodded. "Very well. Bambi, you have another two years before you are allowed to make your decision. You will continue working with Near, but you will also take the title of Deneuve. Your team will take on both assignments now."

With that decided, the young geniuses made their way to the airport where Watari had two planes stationed for them.

Despite heading for private airplanes, they still needed to go through the public airport to get to them. Of course, given space issues, they were on opposite sides of the grand place. Still, the pairs of geniuses would have had to go their separate ways at some point anyway. Mello had already gone ahead, and Near was patiently waiting nearby and Miles and Amy exchanged their goodbyes for now.

"Once everything's all settled, I might come out to DC to be with you," Matt told his girlfriend. "Maybe I could help with some cases too, until you're done."

She smiled softly. "I would like that."

The pair embraced as she told him, "I'll miss you."

"Me too..."

They stood their in each other's arms for a few moments, ignoring the other travelers who flowed around them. _Come on, Amy. Now's you're only chance for a while. Just do it!_ Taking in a deep breath to calm her rising heartbeat, Amelia closed her eyes and twisted her head, pushing her lips against his cheek. When she gathered the courage to look, she found Miles staring back at her, cheeks bright red and lips half pressed against her own.

Apparently she wasn't the only one with that idea.

She felt her own cheeks burn as she pulled away and joined him in a bout of laughter, somewhat masking her embarrassment. Bambi tucked her head against him, unable to look up. Soon after, she felt a hand under her chin, gently pulling up and making her face Matt.

"It's gonna be a long time before we get the opportunity again," he reminded her, cheeks still rosy. "If we're gonna do this, we might as well do it right."

Butterflies flooded her stomach as her heart began to pound. Mirroring his movements, Amy closed her eyes as she carefully moved closer, lips meeting his in a gentle kiss. The world melted away in those moments as they held each other. When they finally pulled apart, both were blushing. Miles couldn't help the goofy grin on his face, while Amelia couldn't help but giggle as her expression began to match him.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

With that, they separated. Matt waved as he ran to Mello, who was undoubtedly going to tease the redhead over taking so long. Bambi waved back as she watched him go. It was only once he was out of sight when she returned to Near.

He was grinning slightly as he commented, "I'm surprised it took you two so long to get together."

She laughed. "Yeah, me too."

Once on their plane, the pair of investigators got straight to work.

"I think that you should focus on the Coil investigations," Near told her. "It's more related to your expertise than mine."

"Sounds good, but what about the Deneuve investigation? We'll need to get an agent in there."

"Gevanni is still contracted with us," he reminded her. "It has been a while, but I am certain that he will be capable of it."

"Alright, so what do you think about this..."


	36. Epilogue

In a dark and secluded building sat two of the world's greatest detectives, both working together under the titles of Deneuve, Coil, and L. The antisocial men were wearing similar wardrobes to their teen years, but there were noticeable changes to their physical appearances – as expected after so many decades had passed. Near had circles under his eyes that were as dark as L's, giving the albino man a panda-like look. Shadows cast by the slight wrinkling around his eyes stood out against his pale skin even more than those on the detective sitting beside him. L had marks of a creased brow, strangely combined with the wrinkles around his mouth that had resulted from smiling so often. While the clothes he was wearing were new, they were the same style of white shirt and jeans that he had been wearing most of his life. What was most different about the great detective was the streaks of gray that decorated his otherwise black hair. One of the computers in front of them lit up with an Old English 'W'. L frowned, knowing the only reason Watari contacted them anymore.

"L, there is another incidence of a shinigami dropping a Death Note," the veteran explained.

"Thank you, Watari. Send us the files and we'll track this new Kira down."

With that said, the retired man did as he was asked and signed out.

Near twirled a strand of hair around his index finger as he commented, "It has been more than twenty years since we stopped Kira. I'm surprised that this still happens."

The older detective nodded as he took a bite of his cake, mumbling through a full mouth. "Yes, but at least it's much rarer now than those first ten years. Not to mention the fact that these shinigami seem to like to kill the Kiras they haunt, so we don't have to monitor all of them."

Speaking of which, the screens lit up again, this time with an Old English 'R'.

The acting Watari addressed the detectives. "I'm patching you in to a call from Matsuda."

"Thank you, Roger."

With that, the Japanese detective's voice rang out from the computer to give his most recent report. "There's still nothing suspicious about Light. The only thing that happened that was really out of the ordinary was that he brought his daughter to her piano recital – you know, she's really good, even for adult standards. I think she'll be going far with-"

"Matsuda."

He laughed sheepishly. "R-Right. So, the only reason that's weird is because his wife normally comes too, but she was called in to do an emergency surgery." The Japanese man paused for a moment before adding, "He had dinner with his parents on his birthday as usual. Oh yeah! Aizawa appointed me as the next Chief when his retirements papers go through in June."

L huffed before redirecting his attention to the task at hand. "Was there anything that was actually of interest to report on Light?"

"Er..." Matsuda thought for a few moments. "Other than wondering how you and the others were doing, nothing in particular happened."

"Why did he bring that up?" Near asked.

"It was probably because he and a few other detectives were talking about a tough case they just cracked," he told them. "If it went unsolved for much longer, we were going to come to you for help."

L put his thumb to his lips for a few moments before deciding, "We'll make your check-ins less frequent, then. Call back in six months."

"Okay, but I didn't tell you about Misa yet."

The elder genius rolled his eyes. "You don't need to. Since she and her husband are so in the limelight, it's easy for me to just turn on some trashy media outlet to learn about her activities."

Disappointment was clear in the oldest man's tone. "Oh... Well, how are you guys doing?"

"Goodbye, Matsuda."

Despite his best efforts to keep the interest of the great detective, the line went dead.

Back in Japan, Matsuda pouted. "Why does he always do that?"

He scratched his head, jostling some of his salt-and-pepper hair as he looked around his quiet office, eyes landing on the small television in the corner. The Vice Chief stared at it for a few moments before glancing between the clock and the door. It was late, Chief Aizawa having already gone home. There wasn't really anyone around who would likely bother him. It wouldn't be too bad if he watched some TV – he can't get in trouble if he's in charge, right? Besides, his new favorite show was on. With that decided, he grabbed the remote from inside his drawer and turned it on.

The screen lit up with the title card of the show and the note of the live broadcast as usual before switching the view to a large studio. As the camera panned to a tall man standing amidst it all, the crowd cheered.

The man adjusted his bow-tie of the week as he grinned and outstretched his arms. "Hello and welcome, both new and old fans alike, to this week's _Night with the Nakamura's!_ My name is Kai Nakamura and have we got a busy hour for you today."

He gestured to one of the curtained entrances on the side of the set, where a blonde woman stepped through and waved to the cheering crowd.

"Today's special guest, Misa Amane-Ryuga, and I will be teaching you how to cook a delicious three-course-meal that she picked up from her time in Hollywood, all while talking about her new film, _The End of Stars,"_ Kai continued. "And in addition to my usual helper – my daughter, Mio, for you new folks," he added as the girl joined them, "we'll also be having Misa's boys help us out."

Two children, aged thirteen and eleven, walked up to their mother. The famous actress smiled as she introduced the oldest as Akira and the youngest as Hayate. The youngest boy puffed out his chest and flexed his nonexistent muscles to the crowd, who all laughed and cheered him on. Akira turned his attention to the girl who was eyeing him from the other side of Kai. He smirked as he winked at her. Mio's cheeks immediately flushed a deep pink as she turned away from the boy, prompting adoring coos from the crowd. Then, from behind the curtain came Misa's husband, who waved and joined his family as the crowd went wild.

"And we have surprise guest, Hideki Ryuga, everyone!" Kai shook the man's hand. "We'll be talking about his new book too."

Matsuda grinned excitedly at the sight on the screen. "Oh wow! I didn't expect him to make it. I guess he and Misa really are all about the whole family-business thing."

The camera zoomed into the host as he explained, "While everything's in the oven, we'll turn to my lovely wife, Kiyomi, who will be interviewing the genius computer engineer, physicist, and my cousin: Kato Nakamura!"

Following his gesture to the side, the camera panned to the newcomer. The physicist was wearing an old-fashioned suit, his hair neatly combed to the side. He waved timidly at the crowd before disappearing behind the curtains again.

"See, this is proof that the smart gene exists in my family," Kai quipped.

Matsuda smiled nostalgically. "Oh yeah, I think Kai and Kiyomi were old classmates of Light's and Bambi's at To-Oh during that first Kira case." He thought back to the team that made up the Task Force back then. "I know that Mello does his own stuff – we've even asked him for help a few times – but I haven't heard anything about Bambi or Matt. I wonder how they're doing..."

Little did he know that if he looked, he would find all three of his former colleagues on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

 

The sun shined brightly over the university campus in the afternoon of that Spring day, the rush home only just beginning. Inside one of the mid-sized lecture halls were undergraduate students attending their Computer Science class. Their professor was among the youngest of the staff, but she had been teaching there for a few years already. She was standing at the front with her computer screen projected on the large board to show the students how to write this newest piece of code she had just taught them about.

As the class came to an end, Amelia disconnected her computer and announced to the students, "Don't forget: the first drafts of your projects are due next week. If you run into any problems debugging, come to my office during office hours on Monday or Wednesday. If those times don't work, shoot me an email and we'll figure something out." When the students began to pack their bags, she added, "If you want extra credit, come to Dr. Nakamura's guest presentation next Thursday and write up a page about what you learned from him. Don't be afraid to ask questions – once you're on a topic he's into, he'll be more than happy to strike up a conversation with you."

The students began to disperse as Amy put her lecture materials into her backpack, though a handful of people approached her. Two young women were lined up in front, both with giddy grins on their faces.

"Professor, can we ask you a question that's not _entirely_ related to class?"

She raised an eyebrow as a corner of her lip twitched upward. "That depends what it is."

"Is it true that you and Dr. Nakamura knew each other before college?"

"Yeah, we were childhood friends," she told the pair. "He's the one who got me interested in this field, actually."

"Wow~!"

The other girl was blushing as she whispered, "Is it true that he met his husband at a strip club?"

"I heard they met on a cruise," the first student argued.

Amy burst out laughing. "I don't think he's ever _been_ to a strip club! No, he and James were undergrad roommates. They just clicked. Now, I don't want you asking him questions like that when he's on campus, alright? He'd never come back."

"Of course."

"Thank you, Professor!"

As the girls left, a young man walked up with a smug grin on his face.

Amelia's eyebrows twitched downward as she addressed the student. "Ah, Nathaniel. Come with another challenge, I see?"

She swore she could see the devil in his eyes as he smirked. "I've got you this time."

_There's always one..._ The professor raised an eyebrow. "Oh, like you did the last fifty times?"

Ignoring her statement, the student went on to announce, "You're not a Russian spy. You're the Robin Hood Hacker!"

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the conspiracy-loving student before she laughed. "You know what? If you can prove that, I'll give you a free A on the next exam. Who knows? Maybe that will be enough for you to pass this time since you refuse to do your homework."

Nathaniel stuck his nose in the air and grinned as he proudly walked off. Amy rolled her eyes before stepping out of the lecture hall and making her way out the building. As she walked down the sidewalk toward the staff parking lot, she spotted a group of high school students following a familiar redhead as they headed up the campus. The woman leading the class smiled at the brunette before stopping her students.

"Class, this is Dr. Jeevas," Melinda began. "I want you to thank her for getting us this opportunity."

Amy smiled and waved at the students before they thanked her. Melinda directed them off to the planetarium as she stayed behind to chat with her longtime friend.

The redhead smiled as she explained, "I had Jay give Melissa the Girl Scout Cookie order sheet in school. I wasn't sure if I would run into you here or not."

"Thanks. I'll let you know when she gets them," Amy told her. "I'll probably stop by after class whenever they're in."

With that, the women bid their goodbyes. Melinda ran up to join her students while Amelia got into her car and began the trek home.

The sun was only just beginning to set when she finally made it back. After letting herself inside and putting down her backpack, her husband was the first to greet her.

Miles picked her up and gave her a kiss.

"You'll never guess what happened!" He grinned as he set her down. "I got a call from Nick Hall today."

Amy's eyes went wide as she recognized the name. "The same one you've been trying to get ahold of?"

He nodded. "Guess who's game is going to be mass produced for consoles~!"

The corners of her lips extended into an open-mouthed grin. "Oh my God! Congratulations!" She wrapped her arms around him. "I knew all your hard work would pay off!"

He hugged her back as he explained, "We still need to recode it, but it's now officially in production." As they pulled apart, he asked, "So, how was your day?"

"It was nice, though Nathaniel's conspiracy of the week was actually right." She laughed as she shrugged. "Oh well. Oh, and I ran into Melinda. Did Melissa give you the order forms?"

"Yeah, they're on the counter."

Amy nodded and soon after she heard footsteps approaching. She braced for impact as her son raced around the corner.

"Mommy~!"

The seven-year old tackled his mother, wrapping his arms tightly around her legs. Behind him, his older sister quietly walked over to her parents.

Amelia's son looked up at her with a wide grin, still clinging to her. "Look at this awesome drawing I did!"

Miles laughed as he pointed out to his son, "Colin, you need to let go to show her. Mommy can't see behind her."

"Right!" The enthusiastic child jumped back before holding up a sheet of paper. "It's a rocket ship! I'm gonna make it when I'm older. Maybe if I tie Melissa on it, she'll be less boring."

Amy frowned as she put her hands on her hips. "Hey, be nice to your sister. Just because you don't like the same things, doesn't mean you can strap her to a rocket."

"We'll she'd be a lot more fun if she were a space-sister," the boy grumbled.

Melissa stomped her foot. "Oh my God. You're worse than Jaycen!"

"Well it's true!"

This time his father took on a warning tone, his arms folded. _"Colin..."_

He huffed before turning to his sister. "Sorry for calling you boring..."

Miles raised an eyebrow. "And...?"

"And... for wanting to tie you to my awesome space ship," he grumbled.

Melissa narrowed her eyes at her brother as she pursed her lips for a few moments. "Apology accepted."

With that, Colin ran off to play, and Amy addressed her daughter with a slightly amused tone. "And what's this about him being worse than Jay? I thought you liked him?"

Melissa's cheeks flushed as bright as her hair. "N-No I don't!"

The girl huffed as she hurried to her room.

 

Later that night, the Jeevas family was waiting near the front of the house for their visitor. Miles and Amy were dressed up for their night out and checked the clock one more time before someone knocked at the door. Miles opened it, revealing his best friend. The blond greeted the inhabitants as he stepped inside.

Colin jumped up and down as he grinned before running up to the man. "Uncle Mello, look what I learned!"

The investigator bent down slightly. "What-"

Colin enthusiastically kicked him in the shin, making him grunt as he grabbed his knees.

"Jesus-"

"Colin!" Amy scolded as she put her hands on her hips. "What did I say about kicking people?"

The boy froze before pulling his hands behind his back. "To... not do it..." He turned to the now-upright man before him. "Sorry, Uncle Mello."

Miles put a hand on Mello's shoulder. "Hey, thanks for looking after the kids tonight. Melinda's taking her class to the observatory, so she couldn't."

The blond waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Go have fun, but don't have any accidents." He winked at the couple as he made his way toward the kids. "Two's fine, but babysitting for three might get tough."

After bidding goodbye and goodnight to their children, Miles and Amy started to walk out the door.

Mello grinned as he enthusiastically asked Colin and Melissa, "Who wants to stay up late and watch a scary movie when mom and dad are gone?"

Cue the excited agreements of both children and Amy calling back through the closed door, "Nothing R-rated!"

Miles laughed as he assured his wife, "They'll be fine."

As they made their way to his car, he kissed her again. "Happy anniversary."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the story. I hope that you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. This is actually the first one I've ever completed, and I'm really happy that you've taken the time to give it a chance and read through the whole thing. From the bottom of my heart: thank you.


End file.
